City of Fire
by Blax
Summary: In a dark century, a group of young men use powerful creatures called Cree to battle the evil forces of the N00b Armies. They are the last line of defense that protects the great City of Janime. Using their powers, they wage duels of darkess against the
1. The Spirit in the Sky

The N00bs are spawning. They are everywhere. They have taken to the filthy swamps of Foreckids Swamp, where they have found a suitable environment to multiply and spread their seed. We sadly, happen to be near to their habitat. They find us threatening to their barbaric way of life, so they have sent their young, the vilest of the N00bs, armed with dark magic, and trained to be their foulest, to our homeland, the great City of Janime. Here, they blend into the crowds, sneaking into the lives of the town people, using their dark magic to unleash terrible monsters onto the unsuspecting townsfolk. We are easily fooled at first, but soon, their true character is revealed.

With the last of our defenses, the Queen of the City has formed an elite task force to band together to take care of the N00b threat. They are the only line of defense against the worst scum of the animeverse. They are the N00b Bashers.

This task force is made up of several young individuals who contain a power similar to that of the N00bs. Using a form of magic, they too are able to unleash monsters from the deepest depths of their souls. By competing against the n00bs in terrible duels that match the skill and strength of spirit, testing the very life force of the competitors, the Bashers are able to fight off the N00b threat. However, if one is to lose such a "game", he shall forfeit his life and soul in terrible pain and agony.

Chapter 1: The Spirit in the Sky

"…"

"Bann, are you up?"

"Recks? Wha…what is going on?"

"An attack to the city. The N00bs have sent a great monster tamer to…"

CRASH

"WHAT WAS THAT!"

"Come with me. NOW! We must get to the Queen's secret chambers. The city is unsafe. She needs to speak with you."

Quickly, the two rushed outside. As soon as Bann stepped out onto the aerie, he felt a crisp blast of cold night air, followed by a hot burst of heat. His eyes blurred for a second, as they came into focus, he looked out upon his great city. Janime was in ruins. The N00bs were all about the city, slaying people in the streets. Using what, in their dialect, was pronounced Spam, they were very efficient, yet brutal killers, severing heads and burning bodies.

Blood and fire filled the streets, a rancid smell filled the air. The feeling of death and pain was everywhere, and, perched high above the streets on the tower of the castle, stood a great beast.

"That is it."

"WHAT? We have to fight that thing?"

"No… you do."

Next time on City of Fire: Duel! Saint vs. N00b


	2. Duel! N00b vs Saint

Chapter 2: Duel! N00b vs. Saint

"WHAT? We have to fight that thing?"

"Yes. You do."

By thing, Bann meant the towering monstrosity that towered high over the city. It was of an enormous black shape, human-like, with black wings that blacked out the little light coming from the moon and stars. Light seemed to fear it. Even the fires stayed far out of its reach, adding to the mystery of the beast.

"How am I supposed to fight that thing!"

"Its just a Creature. You remember training, don't you? Find the one who unleashed it and defeat him."

"Right," Bann stated as he quickly headed off. Dodging flames and ruins, he made his way to the heart of the attack.

"$+0p r!gh+#3r3 #umn!"

"Oh no!" Bann was now face to face with a N00b. Their language was strange and irritating, mixed with a strange gurgle that was heard all about Foreckids.

"Y0u $#11 n0+ p$$ #3r3. ! $umm0n Makyura the Destructor!" A dark warrior, bearing a single golden eye on its forehead arose from shadow. It bore 3 claws on each hand. "Y0u cnn0+ d3f3+ my m0n$+3r!"

"Oh yes I can! Arise Gearfried and Dark Blade, my mighty knights!"

Arising from the shadow came a bright light, followed by two knights, clad in black armor. One bore two shields, one on each arm. His armor was vast, strong, and enduring. He seemed unaffected by its weight, however, his strength seemed contained. The other held a sword in each hand. Silver spikes covered the darkness around him that flowed off with a black and red cape.

"Gearfried, attack!"

"Makyura, d3f3nd!"

"Your Makyura is no match for Dark Blade," exclaimed Bann. He was right. Dark Blade easily cut down the dark warrior. "Now Gearfried. Attack his soul!"

"N0+ $0 f$! c!v+3 +rp. Sakeretsu Armor! De$+r0y h!$ Gearfried!"

Spiny armor grew around the N00b as Gearfried attacked. The iron-clad knight would surely be destroyed.

"Dark Blade. Use the power of your Metalsilver Armor!" Dark Blade's armor began to glow at Bann's command. The spines shrank around the N00b, giving Gearfried a clear shot. However, using this power came at a cost. Dark Blade was destroyed.

"N0! I Call the Haunted bck +0 +#3 f!31d." Makyura reappeared.

"I defeated him once. I shall do it again. Now, Gearfried, I release you!" Casting a Spell, Gearfried's armor cracked, revealing a long haired and muscular man. "I now give you Excalibur," Bann yelled, casting another Spell that caused brought forth a sword of great power to the field. Gearfried grabbed the sword with both hands, doubling his power. He then took a mighty swing at Makyura. Makyura shattered once again, in shadow. "Now Gearfried, attack!" Gearfried lifted the great sword once again, heaving it into the heart of the N00b.

The N00b's soul shattered as he screamed in agony. His entire body tearing apart from within. "AHHHH! I+ burn$. Mke + $+0p! Ahhhhh!"

"May you rest in pieces…" Bann turned from the sight and headed for the tower.

Next time on City of Fire: Storm the Castle


	3. Storm the Castle!

Chapter 3: Storm the Castle!

With Gearfried by his side, together, fighting off all N00b assaulters, the two fought their way to the castle's entrance.

"We… are almost there… Gearfrie…" Bann was unable to finish his sentence. He was tired, not only from fighting, but the strain of keeping his Creature on the field. "I… can't… keep… you out… Gearfried… return to my soul!" In another flash of light, the mighty Gearfried returned to his armor encasement and disappeared.

"Bann!"

"Zakei?"

"You are okay! Quickly, we must reach the tower. The leader of the N00b hoard is at its peak, projecting his Cree. Wait. You may need this. Parla Neubensia! There, you should be able to understand N00bspeak. Dark Magician and I will be right behind you. Now go."

"Thanks." Bann turned and ran. He crossed the bridge into the castles garden. Looking back, he saw Zakei and Dark Magician fighting off a band of N00bs. He was still tired. He didn't know if he would survive a Dark Duel with anything at this point.

Finally, Bann reached the Castle Gate.

"Hold it. You must defeat me if you wish to gain access."

"Another N00b, huh? Alright. I summon Queen's Knight."

A female knight, dressed in red, appeared before Bann. She carried a red shield and a silver sword.

"Now summon your Cree and we will be done with this."

"I already have. I do not need to tell you what I have summoned. If you must know, attack me and find out."

"Fine. Queen's Knight. Attack him directly!" Queen's Knight began her attack. Readying her sword, she charged, but before her attack could hit the N00b, a great hand stopped her. She bounced back, leaving a sheering pain in Bann. "What? What did you do?"

"I used my Cree."

"Your… but you never summoned it."

"Look around you fool. I have manipulated my Magic, changing the whole Castle into my Cree. Even if you had managed to get past me, you would have never gotten two feet into the castle."

'This is no ordinary N00b', thought Bann. 'How do I defeat a foe like this? One who has the power to make an entire castle into a weapon?'

"Now I shall show you the next power of my Cree. I use the Ritual of Prayer to summon the Skull Guardian. This Creature guards the inside of my Castle and it is time to unleash his full force. Prepare to experience a fate worse than death. I open the Castle Gate!"

The same hand that had stopped the attack of Queen's Knight appeared once more. Taking the handle of the gate, it opened it, slowly, with a slight creaking noise. On the other side, Skull Guardian stood, waiting. He boasted two long blades on ether side of him and wore an ancient armor.

"Skull Guardian, attack his soul! You will not survive this!"

Next time on City of Fire: The Endless Light


	4. The Endless Light

Chapter 4: The Endless Light

"I open the Castle Gate! Skull Guardian, attack his soul! You will not survive this!"

"No… he knew my life was already low. My soul hadn't had time to recover from the battles to the castle… I… lose…"

Just as Skull Guardian's blade came down upon Bann's throat, Queen's Knight jumped into action. Pulling her sword into action, she narrowly stopped Skull Guardian's onslaught.

"What?"

"I… can't let you lose. I will pro…tect you master. Awaken… Circle of Enchantment!"

"You… can talk? But how?"

But Queen's Knight said no more. The Circle she invoked protected him from the damage of Skull Guardian.

"You… you still stand?"

"Yes. I'm not as easy to get rid of as you think."

"So, this is the secret entrance to the castle? Hmm…" a dark figure dressed in hooded robes stepped through a crack in the wall. A stoic in his own right, he surveyed castle he had just entered. 'There is something not right here. The castle seems to have changed. I sense a dark presence at work.' "Hmm?"

Out of the walls, shadow creatures formed. They were fast and impossibly agile. These things circled the figure.

"Do you think you frighten me? I live to torture N00bs. Your pathetic Shadow Beasts don't scare me. I shall engulf you all in darkness. DARK HOLE!"

"Do you think that Bann made it to the inside of the castle?"

"No clue. I saw him heading off, but… right now I have other things to worry about."

Morgen fought side-by-side with Recks. They were confronted by what seemed was an army of N00bs.

"Where do these things keep coming from?" asked a frustrated Morgen.

"Gee, I don't know. Where do all N00bs come from?"

"Never mind. Getsu Fuhma, attack the 13th Grave."

Getsu Fuhma, a longhaired samurai, leapt into action. Using his Wave Sword, he sliced the zombie in two. However, more of these zombies kept coming.

"This is bullsht. Leave it to fcking N00bs to completely screw with us."

"Enough of this. I combine the power of my Dinosaurs! Unleash your wrath on the N00bs, Tyranno Infinity."

Arising from the earth, an enormous Dinosaur fossil broke free from its eternal prison. Absorbing the power of all of Recks' fallen Dinos, it revived itself.

"RROOOAARRAOOORRRRR!" the reptile screamed as it gnashed through a few zombies and stomped on a few more.

"Guys, wait up. Dark Magician, aid them," Zakei told his Cree as he entered the scene. "I just met up with Bann. He should have entered the castle by now. He looked pretty beat though… SHT! I was supposed to give him this." Zakei pulled out a vile containing an amber liquid that seemed to glow in the little light that still shined. "It's an Elixir of Life. It revitalizes the soul. I have to get it to him or he may die… or worse".

All three shuttered at what that meant. They knew what would happen to one who lost a Dark Duel. They had all witnessed N00bs ripping at their flesh as if they were burning alive. It was the ultimate torture.

"How you holdin' up there, Jigen?"

"Good, and you, Tiamat?"

"I'm fine. Lemme just clear the field. Armed Dragon, Genocide Cutter!"

Tiamat's Armed Dragon, a ferocious dragon that destroyed everything in its path, attacked every monster that was set before them. It was a black and red color, with blades and spikes covering its body.

"Right, now D.D. Crazy Beast, I call you forth from the Different Dimension to punish the N00bs before you."

A vast hole erupted on the field, warping space and time. Out of it came a strange creature, red in color, and seemingly mechanical. It was of nothing on this earth. It attacked all who it could, dragging them back into the twilight zone, leaving them stranded for eternity.

"V3ry 600d, b0+# 0f j00." A man speaking N00bspeak walked toward them.

"Wait, you aren't a N00b. Why do you speak that tongue?" demanded Jigen

"Because I can. + cn b3 v3ry !rr!ng +0 n 0pp0n3n+. I feel it gives me an advantage."

"Who are you?" yelled an annoyed Tiamat.

"I am a Reckah. You can call me Dismay. I shall be your opponent."

"Reckah? But… you can't be," Jigen stated. "Lady Janime the 8th banished you from the kingdom hundreds of years ago. You were barbarians who lived to destroy and cause trouble. We refuse your challenge."

"I'm afraid you cannot do that, for this duel has already begun."

"Now its my move. I summon King's Knight, and with Queen's Knight on the field, I can now summon Jack's Knight. I think I have figured out something about your Castle Gate. With it opened, you are unprotected. You can attack me… and I can attack you! Now my three knights, attack him directly! You lose!"

"You wish. You may have weakened me, but you must have realized that I am no ordinary N00b. My power is much greater. I am the immortal Fortris!"

"No way. Alright, I cast two spells and end my turn. Attack, but beware."

"Your Spells don't scare me. Now I summon Death Calibre Knight."

A dark knight on horseback entered the field. He trotted through the Castle Gate, ready for battle.

"Now my knight, attack his Queen's Knight."

Death Calibre Knight's horse sped forward. The dark knight's lance was held ready for battle. He struck Queen's Knight, who held up her shield.

"I won't let you kill her. Activate Knight's Shield. This shield does to same to my Knight as she did for me. Now I shall defend her from your attack."

Queen's Knight's shield began to glow. Death Calibre Knight's attack weakened and at last, he was thrown backwards from the force of the shield.

"Fine, keep your knights. I can still attack you directly. Now go Death Calibre Knight!"

Once again, Fortris' knight sped out of the Castle Gate straight toward Bann. He knew he wouldn't be able to defend this time.

"ARRGGHHH!" Bann screamed as Death Calibre Knight struck him in the heart. He coughed up blood and fell too his knees as the dark knight faded away. 'Of course, his monsters die after their attack. But I'm only hanging on by a thread. How do I beat him?'

"Now, to protect my Life Points, I shall close the Castle Gate." Just like before, the mysterious hand appeared to close the gate of the castle.

"My cough move. cough Now, I summon… cough Gilford the Lightning to strike down your castle!" In a burst of Lightning, the three knights before him vanished, replaced by a large Warrior wielding a heavy sword. Gilford attacked the castle with another burst of Lightning.

"Not so fast! I shall use the power of the heavens. Divine Wrath!" Another burst of lightning shot down from the sky, this time, striking Gilford. "Muhahahahahaha! You are know match for the Castle of the Gods!"

"No…" Bann collapsed. He could no longer continue this duel.

"Now, DIE! Swordstalker, attack this filthy Anim directly."

"You can't. Swordstalker is too powerful to be summoned."

"I do what I want."

"And…I… won't… LET YOU! Reveal Spell! Gather the Round Table. Now I shall summon my own dark knight. Arise Dark Flare Knight. Attack his Swordstalker."

"Not so fast. Activate Invincible Strike. Now, my Swordstalker will destroy your Knight, but I will take the damage."

Swordstalker fought off Dark Flare Knight's attack, destroying him with a clean sweep.

"I told you, I am the Invincible Fortris!"

"Ha ha ha. You fool. For destroying the darkness, you have left only the light, and that light shall be your doom."

As Bann spoke the words, the Shadow that surrounded the dying Knight changed into a brightening light. Appearing where Dark Flare Knight once stood, a new golden knight took its place.

"Now, I call forth the Legendary Castle of Light!" The castle erupted, leaving a castle of pure light where it once stood. The Light was so bright, even the Dark Beast perched on top was forced to move away for the time, taking to the sky on its mighty wings.

"My… my spell. My control over the castle is broken. What have you done?"

"I have converted the entire castle to my control. Now I shall use its power upon my knight. Mirage Knight, attack!"

Mirage Knight leapt into action, unleashing his giant sickle upon Swordstalker. The Light emanating from him and the castle laid terrible punishment to the warrior, wiping him, and his master, from existence.

When the smoke cleared, Fortris lay on the ground, writhing in pain.

"How? I am the invincible Fortris. You cannot defeat me."

"It seems that the powers of light hidden within the castle are more powerful than your spell of darkness. The Fortris has fallen."

"Ha! My soul cough may be shredded, but your soul is in just as bad shape. You will not cough last cough three min cough in there cough… My brethren are strong…cough me cough beat cough you…"

"We shall see." The castle lost its shimmer and returned to its natural state. The beast atop settled down and regained its seat upon the tallest tower. Bann walked through the castle gate and headed for the stairs, where he collapsed.

Next time on City of Fire: The Desperate Duel of Darkness


	5. The Desperate Duel of Darkness

Chapter 5: The Desperate Duel of Darkness

FLASH A bright light filled the City of Janime for a split second and vanished.

"What the hell was that?" Morgen of the Bashers asked.

"It…it came from the castle," Zakei, a fellow Basher and local mage, answered in disarray.

"…Bann… brother…" Recks, yet another Basher looked on. He looked at the castle, still glowing with a faint light, dying. Recks had seen his brother do this before. He knew it was the last desperate move of his Dark Duels. 'Bann, what has happened?'

"Quickly, we must make our way to the castle. There is no telling how much time we have. Bann must… he will get this medicine," Zakei rushed onward. He felt responsible. It was his own absent-mindedness that had caused him to forget to give his good friend the phial of amber liquid. "Dark Magician Girl, watch our flank."

A female magician, wearing bright colors, looking very similar to the one he had summoned previously, flew out of a barrel near them in an explosion of colorful confetti and bubbles. She was very pretty, which kept Zakei, a bit of a lecher, around. In fact, not only were many of his Creatures spellcasters, they were also females as well, save his mighty Dark Magician.

The mysterious cloaked figure shielded his eyes from the flash of light. He held out his staff like a walking stick, allowing him to continue forward.

"The evil presence that surrounded the tower is gone… nearly… I should say." He turned around. "Who are you?"

Another hooded figure stood behind him. "#, $0 j00 #v3 f!n11y $p0+ed m3?"

"A N00b? Or something fouler? You are a wraith, a shadow creature born from the fusion of Light and Darkness. I have no time for the likes of you."

"You should, for we are connected. Think of me as your brother, Old Man."

"You speak our tongue?"

"I speak many languages when I want. We shall meet again on the aerie, Old Man, but until then, I leave you with this parting gift." The wraith vanished. Water began to fill the room.

"This isn't water… this is… CREE!"

The water began to shape itself, but because of its state of matter, the Cree seemed unable to take on a true shape, and instead continuously morphed."

"Revival Jam. I cannot consume thee. That wraith knows me too well. I summon you Agent of Creation. Arise Venus and attack the Revival Jam!"

An angel emerged from the man's soul, bathed in golden light. She had golden hair, golden wings, and wore clothes of gold. She opened her eyes and attacked the weak jam, which splattering against the walls. However, to the hooded man's displeasure, the slime reformed itself.

"This may… take a while."

"You don't scare us, Reckah!"

"Oh don't I?"

"No, you don't, and to prove it, I accept your challenge," Tiamat responded.

"You misunderstand young Dragon Tamer. I… wish to duel you both… at once."

"You're nuts Dismay. You can't possibly take on the both of us at once," Jigen finally spoke.

"Ah, the young master of space and time. You are misunderstand. You are no match for me, which is why I am giving you are fairer fight with this duel," Dismay explained.

"Fine, it's your funeral. Summon Masked Dragon."

A red and white dragon flew onto the field. Its face looked like a white mask, thus its name.

"Attack him if you dare, Dismay."

"I see. You have finished you turn with haste. You both have such potential. Join my brethren. You could gain great power. I shall call off this duel if you agree to my request."

"Never. We don't want any of your deals. And now, it's my turn. I summon Dimensional Warrior. Open the gateways of twilight!"

From a rift in space-time, a warrior appeared and settled down next to Jigen.

"That ends my move. Your turn Dismay."

"Alright… ! $umm0n my !mm0r+1 Knight of Dark Realm, Zulu!"

As the two covered their ears to the horrid N00bspeak, a dark knight entered the field. This fiendish figure carried a long silver sword and wore a blue cape. He was a skull in knight's armor.

"How dare you summon this false knight. Bann would wipe the floor with you," Tiamat scoffed at the newly summoned creature.

"Your friend isn't fairing much better. Just look."

Tiamat and Jigen turned to see the castle in the distance. It seemed spellbound, like a nightlight flickering and dying.

"Your friend cast that spell. It is now dying, which can mean only that the one who cast it is as well. Quite an amazing spell, purifying an entire castle and empowering his Creatures all at once, but at quite the cost, but enough babbling. Back to our duel! Zulu, strike down the dragon."

Zulu leapt into action, brining its sword down onto the back of Masked Dragon's head and slicing its neck clean off. The dragon died so instantly that it had little time to cry out. However, from its blood, an egg appeared. As Masked Dragon's corpse withered and faded, the egg began to hatch. A small tan and orange dragon broke free of the egg.

"Meet my Armed Dragon. He is your worst nightmare come true."

"My boy, you have no idea the terrifying things I have in store for you. To call that thing a nightmare is an insult to my Creepool."

"Suit yourself. Armed Dragon, evolve!"

Armed Dragon began to grow, changing into an even more devastating dragon. The spikes that surrounded it grew and its armor toughened. Its color changed to a dark reddish-black color and a light red color.

"Armed Dragon, attack Zulu with Armed Punisher!" Spikes flew out of Armed Dragon, destroying the Zulu, leaving Dismay wide open. "Now attack his soul!"

"Not so fast. I have a deal that I would like to propose."

"Forget it. I want to have nothing to do with you or your deals."

"I am not giving you a choice in the matter. Contract of Darkness will redirect your attack to my mind, where you must choose a creature to attack. However, if you choose the wrong one, you shall pay severely."

"You? Damn you. Armed Dragon. Commence your Attack."

Several shadows appeared on the field. Armed Dragon attacked one of the shadows, swiping it with its claw. As the smoke cleared, a new monster appeared on the field, golden, yet dark. It had two massive wings and claws, as well as skull-like face, much like Zulu.

"Meet my War God of Dark Realm, GOLD! Now Gold, use your might to rain Mighty Thunder upon my foes!"

Along with Gold's arrival, dark clouds began to form overhead, raining lightning all around, striking Dimensional Warrior and Armed Dragon, turning them to ash and flame.

"Can you feel it? The ultimate Shadow Wars have begun! The N00bs are the least of your worries! Muhahahaha! MUHAHAHAHA! I told you that you were no match for me! Go! Protect your precious castle. I have no more dealings with you. The Beast has awoken. You will all die! ALL HAIL EREBUS, LORD OF BLOOD! ARISE AND DARKNESS SHALL RULE THE LAND! YOUR CITY, YOUR WORLD! THEY SHALL ALL BE DESTROYED!"

As mysteriously as his appearance, Dismay vanished.

"What was that all about? He could have finished us off."

"It seemed that he was merely testing us… and we failed. We are no match for this blood god that he spoke of, Tiamat. He destroyed our favorite monsters with one attack. Quickly, let us make for the castle so we can aid Bann."

Next time on City of Fire: Destined Showdown. Battle of Mages


	6. Destined Showdown Battle of Mages

Chapter 6: Destined Showdown. Battle of Mages

"…" 'I can't move. I can't even speak. I'm just… here, but where is here?'

"You have arrived young saint."

'Saint?'

"Yes, you are a saint. You have been destined to defeat the great evil, or so we hope."

'Great… evil…'

"Bann of the Bashers. You must awaken and complete your destiny."

"The castle! At last we've made it!"

"Maybe you have Zakei, but we are still back here! Wait up!"

"I can't wait, Morgen. Bann needs this elixir now."

"Fine, go on with out us," Recks managed to yell from the rear. He was out of breath and slowly catching up, he finally stopped for a breather.

"Fine, seeya." Zakei took off through the outer gate of the castle garden. He ran toward the inner gate, followed closely by Dark Magician girl, finally stopping at a pool of warm dark red liquid, barely visible in the night. "No, Bann? No, it isn't his… but there was definitely a battle here. If this N00b is here, then that light must mean… Bann won! BANN!"

"W#0 603$ +#3r3?"

"Who are you, N00b?

"Don't list me with one of those commoners. I am no ordinary N00b."

"You can speak our language."

"Of course. I am an elite, a n0b13. You can call me v!c3nn the alchemist."

"nd j00 cn c11 m3 Zk3+#3 m$+3r 0f mg!c!n$!"

"So, you can understand our language."

"I dabble. Now duel! I summon Magician's Valkyria! And that will end my turn."

A magician that looked like an older Dark Magician Girl appeared.

"Alright, but before I can unleash my Cree, I must first start up the Alchemic Kettle," Avicenna started. Before even finishing, an enormous kettle began to rise of from the earth. It was filled with liquid fire and covered in valves. "Now that my kettle is heated, I can summon my Cree. I feed the Iron Lamp, Lead Compass, Tin Magic Panel, and Mercury Hourglass to the Alchemic Kettle to summon my Cree. I summon Iron Salamander, Lead Lion, Tin Aitos, and Mercury Echeneis."

"Four? Four Cree at once? You can't! Cree need to be summoned one at a time during a duel. That is cheating!"

"My Cree are special. They aren't monsters like your Cree, but rather, transmuted homunculi formed from what I have placed within the alchemic kettle. Now my four monsters, attack!"

All four creatures, one looking like a metal dragon, another that looked like a dark lion, the third looking like a gray-silver hawk, and the last looking like a blue-silver fish, attacked Zakei using the elements.

"Valkyria, defend."

The quadruple attack of quintessence shot straight through Valkyria, strongly hitting Zakei, knocking him backwards. Almost half his soul was gone. Another hit like that and he might be killed.

"Uhhhhh… I won't let you… win. I sacrifice Magician's Valkyria to summon Dark Magician Girl."

Dark Magician Girl, who had been behind Zakei the whole time, jumped onto the field, her staff read.

"Now Dark Magician Girl. Attack his Salamander."

"Not so fast. Activate Fuh Rin Ka Zan! Destroy Dark Magician Girl!"

The armor of a samurai rose of the earth. Water rained onto it to give it life and wind gave it the power to move. Finally, fire ignited its soul. Taking a stance, the samurai caused a mighty wind to rush toward, blowing Dark Magician Girl away.

"Dark Magician Girl, no. You will pay for harming such a beautiful lady. I cast two spells. You want to attack? Try if you dare."

"Humph, your girl friend is gone with the wind, and soon you shall be as well. Now it is time to start creating the most powerful of all alchemic tools. I start with the Black Process Nigredo." The kettle erupted destroying all four monsters on the field.

"Why would you destroy your own monsters?"

"I told you. They aren't monsters. Merely transmuted tools. I care not to destroy such soulless beasts."

"Zakei!"

"Another one? So… you must be the bashers! Why didn't I see it before. No wonder you are so goody-goody. Rules this and monsters that. Well Zakei. It's time to match your rules to my skill. I start the White Process Albed!"

The kettle roared again, erupting with even more fire than during the Black Process. As the fires settled, a giant was stood up behind the kettle. It was made of pure gold.

"Meet my Alchemic Beast, Gold Homunculus! Attack him directly!"

Next time on City of Fire: Into the Cosmos. Zakei's Fall


	7. Into the Cosmos Zakei’s Fall

Chapter 7: Into the Cosmos. Zakei's Fall

"Gold Homunculus, destroy him!"

"Not so fast. Reveal trap Magic Cylinder!"

Two Cylinders appeared on the field. One absorbed the oncoming attack of Gold Homunculus while the other fired an attack with equal force back at Avicenna. The N00b alchemist flew backwards from the force.

"I summon a shadow monster." A shadowy figure rose onto the field. "That's all I can do," Zakei rushed his turn. He didn't have anything to defeat the gold monstrosity at the moment.

"You are much weaker than I had expected once I realized you were an elite, Zakei the Mage. I send the Silver Key to the Alchemic Kettle."

The Kettle's fire melted down the key and reshaped it into another alchemic beast that quickly jumped out of the large pot to join the other on the field. It was silvery and heavily cratered. Upon its arrival, the Gold Homunculus grew in strength.

"Silver Moonface, attack him directly. Gold Homunculus, follow by attacking his shadow monster."

Both stone monsters attacked Zakei. Moonface shot a wave of darkness directly at Zakei, while Homunculus attacked the shadow, which was blown away to reveal Witch of the Black Forest. She was no match for the brute force of the giant.

"Thank you Witch. You saved me, and you have done so much more. I start my turn by summoning White Magician Pikeru."

A young girl in white appeared on the field wearing a scapegoat for a hat.

"Your cutesy magician won't stand a chance against me."

"We'll see," Zakei said as he closed his eyes, cast a spell, and ended his turn.

"You must really want to die. I see, then you, the pathetic sorcerer are about to fall by my hand. Gold Homunculus, attack Pikeru!"

Gold Homunculus' large fist came crashing down at a frightened Pikeru. But Pikeru remained untouched. Before hitting the target, a large golden sarcophagus appeared in front of Pikeru to block the attack.

"Pikeru, call forth the Scapegoats."

Pikeru nodded and called four multi-colored goats to the field.

"Now I sacrifice one to unlock the coffin. Meet my Dark Magician. Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician leapt out of the coffin, staff at ready, firing a blast of magical energy at Gold Homunculus, destroying it.

"My… my alchemic beast… you couldn't have…"

"I did. Upon his arrival, my Dark Magician has infinite power, giving him the ability to destroy any monster on the field."

Still in shock from his monster's untimely destruction, Avicenna called the attack of his second monster, Silver Moonface.

"Not so fast. Go Magician Selection!" called Zakei with a new sense of determination in his face.

Dark Magician fended off the attack of the alchemic beast and struck it with another blast of magical energy, destroying it.

"Looks like you are now the one at a disadvantage. I have five monsters and you have none. Now, before I attack and destroy you, I will have my White Magician restore some of my life and my Dark Magician destroy any traps you may have set for me, along with you Alchemic Kettle to ensure you don't summon anymore Alchemic Beasts! Dark Magic Attack!"

"No, you won't! Go Macrocosmos!"

In a flash of white light, the Alchemic Kettle exploded, throwing back Dark Magician's attack and blinding the playing field. As the light cleared, Zakei and the others looked around.

"Where are we?" Morgen asked. He was just as confused as Recks and Zakei, who remember being in front of the castle a second earlier.

"We are… in space…" Zakei figured it out. "The land of the stars, but how?"

"Before you could destroy my kettle, it exploded with such ferocity that we were thrown in the heavens. We shall continue the remainder of the duel here. If you survive, you will see your home again, but if you do not, you shall spend the remainder of eternity floating in the great beyond. Now, I summon Primeval Sun Helios."

A woman wrapped in bandages took form on the field."

"WHOA! WHAT A BABE! Damn, she is hot! What a body… but the sun for a head is a bit much. Still…"

"ZAKEI! WILL YOU STOP THAT FOR ONCE! THIS IS A DUEL!" Recks yelled at his distracted ally.

Zakei's lecherous side leaped out at the sight of Helios. Women were his thing, and he loved as many beauties as he could.

"Oh… oh yeah. Um… Dark Magician, attack Helios!"

Dark Magician attacked the solar girl, but before his attack hit, the planets orbiting Helios aligned in a straight path. The gravitational field warped Dark Magician and Pikeru, along with the Scapegoats, destroying all of them and inflicting damage to Zakei's already withered soul.

"…"

"Now, I prepare the Yellow Process Citrinitas."

The new process transformed Helios. She grew fatter and shorter. Next to her sun-lit head, a smaller sun sprang to life.

"I am one step closer to completing my ultimate weapon and two steps closer to defeating you. Helios Duo Megistos, attack him directly!"

Helios attacked, inflicting a good deal of damage to the defenseless Zakei.

Weakened, Zakei tried to begin his turn. "I… summon…" He couldn't continue. His soul had been shredded down. Very little of what he once had been was left. He couldn't tell if he could even pull anything from his Cree Pool."

'Zakei! Zakei you must continue!'

'Who is there? Dar… Dark Magician Girl!'

'I will help you.'

'As will I,' Dark Magician appeared next to his apprentice, a fire in his eyes.

"Dark Magician… Dark Magician Girl… I will fight, if not for myself, then for you! I activate the Pitch-Black Power Stone. By using Miracle Restoring, I can summon Dark Magician back to the field. Next, I will have him attack your Helios with Thousand Knives. I have no problem destroying that ugly thing!"

Thousands of knives showered down on Helios, but instead of being destroyed, she grew larger.

"What? No way. Dark Magician, attack Helios with Black Magic!"

Dark Magician fired another blast of magic, but only seemed to make Helios stronger.

"Helios is an immortal spirit. She cannot be destroyed. She can only consume."

"… I will cast two spells. Your turn."

"Now, Helios, attack Dark Magician."

Once again, Helios consumed the attack of the purple-clad magician, strengthening itself.

"Activate Call of the Haunted to Special Summon Dark Magician Girl. Now I activate Magician's Cross to attack your Helios. Your Helios can't consume everything!"

"Oh yes it can! Now, I activate Grand Cross!"

The planets aligned again, this time in the shape of a cross, destroying Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, and furthering the power of Helios.

"Activate Magician's Circle! I Special Summon Silent Magician. She will defeat you, I can promise you that."

"Humph, your new magician is far to weak to stand up to Helios."

"That is what you think. Now I add the remaining Spell Counter from my stone to Silent Magician, increasing her attack. I will end my turn with two cast spells."

"Now, I finish the final process of refining my instrument, the Red Process Rubido."

Once again, Helios changed, but this time, she split into three miniature girls, each with a large sun for a head.

"Meet Helios Trios Megistos. Next, I activate Painful Choice, allowing me to send four Cree to there Grave and one to my mind. I choose Aqua Spirit, Spirit of Flames, Rock Spirit, Garuda the Wind Spirit, and Homunculus the Alchemic Being."

"You can keep your Homunculus, since I know you are using them just to strengthen your Helios."

Sure enough, as soon as the Spirits vanished, Helios grew more powerful.

"Now, Helios, attack Silent Magician!"

"Silent Magician, defend yourself with Magical Hats."

Three hats appeared on the field, shuffling over Silent Magician. Helios attacked the left-hand hat, destroying it in the fires of a phoenix. However, she missed.

"Oh my, I missed… HELIOS, ATTACK AGAIN!"

Helios launched another attack, destroying the middle hat, but once again, missed the target magician.

"You wasted both your attacks. Now Silent Magician, reveal yourself, unharmed and bow for the audience. You have been a lovely assistant. Now, I activate Time Jump, increasing the power of my Silent Magician further. She is now at her full power."

Silent Magician aged through the three turns, becoming stronger with each one passing.

"We now have two almost evenly matched monsters."

"Almost doesn't cut it. Especially now that I have completed the Philosopher's Stone. Prepare for the end Zakei. With the Philosopher's Stone, I am unbeatable."

Next time on City of Fire: The Philosopher's Stone and the Philosopher's Mage


	8. The Philosopher’s Stone

Chapter 8: The Philosopher's Stone and the Philosopher Mage

'These Revival Jam are really starting to piss me off. I need to wipe them out completely, but how?' "I've got it! I summon the Agent of Destruction, Neptune. Neptune, attack with Triton Rush."

Neptune exploded in a tidal storm. The entire corridor filled with clear, blue liquid. As the water drained, the soaked man stood up to find the hall empty.

"That's more like it. No more slime." He turned and ran.

"There's the castle," Jigen yelled at Tiamat as they neared the walls of the garden.

"I see it," Tiamat yelled back.

Both ran through the outer gate and headed for the inner gate.

"Stop," Jigen told Tiamat before they stepped inside.

"Why?"

"Can you not feel it? A hidden Dark Duel lurks beyond this door. If we enter, we will break the rules of the game and our souls will be ripped from our bodies."

"Can you tell who is dueling?"

"I'm not certain. The duelist's soul seems to scattered to tell, but I believe I may sense the presence of a powerful magician."

"Zakei…"

"It seems that way."

"But… you said his soul was scattered. What kind of N00b could do that to Zakei?"

"A strong one…"

Meanwhile, within the Dark Duel, Zakei fought on in the far reaches of space. His only monster was Silent Magician, and even she, powered up far beyond her original limitations, was no match for the Helios Trios Magistos of Avicenna.

"Now that I have the Philosopher's Stone, I am unbeatable! There is nothing I can't accomplish. I thank you Zakei for allowing me the time and energy to forge it! Now, I activate the power of the Philosopher's Stone."

Avicenna held out the stone of untold power. It began to glow in his hands. However, this power seemed to come with a price, halving the also diminishing life of the beholder.

"Now, I activate Tribute to the Doomed. Your magician is gone and I will attack directly with Helios for the kill."

Bandages shot out of the ground at Silent Magician. They wrapped around her arms and legs as she struggled to break free of their tightening grip and drag her down into the earth.

"No you don't. Your stone is no match for the power of my magician. Silent Magician, you can destroy those bandages. Do it now!"

Sure enough, at Zakei's call, Silent Magician's staff ignited, burning the bandages surrounding her.

"You may have an almighty weapon, but its magic holds no power over my magician."

"Then it seems I will have to destroy her the old fashion way. Helios attack!"

The three attacked with another prominence phoenix, striking Silent Magician, but inflicting little damage.

"I promise you, I won't let that stop me," Zakei made his bold statement, but had nothing to back it up. At the moment, his mind was empty of any Cree or Spell that could help him. Silent Magician was his strongest monster, and even that was no match for Helios. 'I have to go on the defensive again. Wait, this is a new Cree. I might as well try it out.' "Now I combine the powers of Light and Darkness, fusing my Silent Magician and Witch of the Black Forest to form the ultimate Chaos Sorcerer. Now Chaos Sorcerer, Black Light Blast!"

The newly summoned sorcerer, a creature of both light and dark powers, swept the field wielding both elements in his hands. The combination of both created an enormous vortex in space, pulling all three suns into it, obliterating Helios Trios Megistos.

"Your monster is gone. You lose Avicenna."

"I am far from being defeated Zakei. I activate the powers of the Philosopher's Stone again, using its power to activate Chaos End."

Space twisted above them, ripping a hole in the fabric of the universe, sucking everything in, including Chaos Sorcerer.

"Then I summon Homunculus the Alchemic Being…"

A red and black man-like creature appeared in the infinite blackness. He had no eyes and brownish hair. He looked as if he was made incorrectly, as his limbs didn't seem to fit quite well.

"… and attack you directly."

Homunculus directly attacked Zakei. Chaos reigned supreme over the field. The Philosopher's Stone held too much power.

"Your final turn Zakei. End it quickly. I haven't got all day."

"I summon… Apprentice Magician. Attack him directly."

"I activate the Spiritual Wind Art, MIYABI!"

Homunculus slowly withered away, transforming into air that swept across the field, pulling Apprentice Magician along with it.

"But… Homunculus is a Light monster, not… a… Wind monster…"

"My Homunculus can change his element and form at will, making him the ultimate creature of Alchemy. More powerful than a mere human, but lacking a soul, giving it no conscience of right or wrong. It knows only seven deadly sins. And now, without anything to protect you, you shall die."

"I'm not beaten yet. I activate Monster Reborn, allowing me to Special Summon my White Magician Pikeru. I end my turn."

"Fine. I still have you right where I want you. I use the Philosopher's Stone once again, summoning Homunculus back to the field using the power of Dimension Distortion."

Sure enough, Homunculus appeared on the field, traveling through the hole of light that still hung above them. He was now wrapped in fire.

"Meet Homunculus newest element. Even if you manage to destroy him, the intense heat will destroy you."

"No he won't. I activate Dark Renewal, allowing me to sacrifice both Pikeru and your Homunculus to summon Dark Magician Girl back to the field."

A coffin, similar to the one used to summon Dark Magician earlier with Dimension Magic, appeared on the field. It opened up, launching chains at Pikeru and Homunculus, dragging both inside and locking itself. Then it opened again to reveal a dazzling Dark Magician Girl who promptly leapt out of the coffin.

"Now who is wide open?"

"Hmm… I shall cast a spell to protect myself. Your turn," stated a grumpy Avicenna. He was infuriated that he didn't defeat Zakei and managed to lose his Homunculus twice. But something far worse was bothering him now. Something to do with the stone that he held in his hand.

"Fine." 'Ah! The… that spell! It's time to see who is the real Alchemist' "I activate Monster Reincarnation, adding Dark Magician back to mind, allowing me to use him again, and now it's time to summon him. I activate my philosopher's stone, the Sage's Stone!"

A bluish stone appeared on the field. It shined with a blinding light and landed in the hands of Dark Magician Girl.

"Now my magician, use the power of the stone to call forth your master!"

Dark Magician Girl began to pray on the stone, holding it to her heart. A hexagram appeared on the field in front of Zakei. Rising out of the starlit circle rose the greatest wizard of all time, the Dark Magician.

"Now, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, finish this!"

Both mages crossed their staffs, sending out a blast of magical energy at Avicenna. However, before hitting its target, it was absorbed by the hole of light above them.

"How did you stop my attack? You should have died."

"I was able to negate it. I told you I cast a spell. My turn. I summon another Homunculus the Alchemic Being. Then I use the final ability of the Philosopher's Stone. It is time to find who truly is the more powerful Alchemist and who has made the more perfect stone. Homunculus, fuse with the Philosopher's Stone to become completely human!"

"But I thought you said that your Homunculus was stronger than any human."

"Only a human can surpass his limitations, and that is what my monster is about to do. Homunculus, attack Dark Magician!"

"No… activate… Magician's Defense! With two magicians on the field, I can negate any attack, including your Homunculus'. I can now sacrifice my two magicians to summon Sorcerer or Dark Magic."

"You… you stopped me. I guess you are truly the greater alchemist. Sorcerer of Dark Magic! Attack me and end this duel! I accept my fate. No trap I set can help me now. I lose."

Sorcerer of Dark Magic, who looked like Dark Magician robed all in black, attacked Homunculus and Avicenna, wiping out what little life the alchemist N00b had left in his body. The three boys returned to the castle entrance hall. However, Avicenna's corpse was nowhere to be seen.

He had suffered his own penalty and his lifeless body was sentenced to float in space for all of eternity, as it imploded from lack of pressure, resulting in a gruesome scene of bulging eyes, blood and bodily fluids, and guts releasing from the morbid flesh. However, no one was around to witness this horrid ending.

Next time on City of Fire: The Undying Soul


	9. The Undying Soul

Chapter 9: The Undying Soul

"Zakei!" Jigen exclaimed as he ran through the gate as his friends appeared out in the great hall.

"Recks! Morgen! You're all alive!" Tiamat yelled after Jigen as he followed through the gates.

"We are, but Zakei is in pretty bad shape," Recks told his companions as he looked down at the unconscious Zakei. "He just faced an incredibly strong N00b, who gave Zakei a nice run for his money. I think he only has a little bit of soul left. We have to help him."

"The phial! The one that Zakei had on him to give to Bann. It might save him!" Morgen burst out.

"But if Zakei takes it, then there won't be enough for Bann."

"Speaking of Bann, where is he?" asked

All four looked around. They couldn't find him.

"Let's split up. He couldn't have gotten too far. Morgen, stay here and watch over Zakei. Make sure no more N00bs get into the castle."

"Aye aye sir. Mataza the Zapper, arise."

A samurai, one wearing greenish armor, appeared on the field.

"Mataza and I are prepped and ready," Morgen drew his own Katana.

"Alright. Jigen, you and Tiamat go that way," Recks pointed in two directions. "If we find him, we will send out our Cree."

"Alright," both answered back and headed off in their respected directions.

Recks nodded and headed toward the stairs.

"Bann…"

'Who are you?'

"You know me as Gearfried. You are not alone. I am with you."

"And so am I," stated a familiar female knight.

'Queen's Knight…'

"And that isn't all. We are all here to help you. As long as we are here, you are unbeatable."

Behind Gearfried and Queen's Knight, an army of knights sprang up. Dark Blade, Blade Knight, Ace's Knight, Mirage Knight, and many others appeared.

"Bann? BANN!" Recks ran toward the stairs, where Bann lay passed out. "Get up. Get up man. You gotta wake up."

"Queen's Knight… Gearfried… I can barely hear you…"

"Bann? He's delusional. Great. Listen to me Bann. It's your old pal Recks. You remember me, right?"

"Gearfried…"

"BANN! Oh man. Gilasaurus, Uraby, seek out the others."

"Bann…"

'Queen's Knight, I don't understand.'

"You have been reborn. The Knights of Legend have instilled you with their power. Bann, please you must wake up. WAKE UP!"

"Bann, please you must wake up. WAKE UP!"

"Re…Recks?"

"Bann! You're awake!"

"Of course I am. Now lemme get up." Bann slowly stood up and straightened himself out. "That's better. I will never get used to that cold stone floor."

"But your soul. It's drained. You can't possibly be able to stand."

"I'm fine. I don't know how, but I'm fine."

"… Gilasaurus, and Uraby too. Jigen, Tiamat, and Morgen, you're here."

"Yeah, we saw your dinos and we rushed over. I brought Zakei. Now what are we gonna do with this phi… Bann!"

"Give it to Zakei. I'm fine."

"But you were unconscious lying over the stairs. I saw you. How could you…?"

"I just am. I can't explain it, but I'm fine."

"Better than fine," Jigen stated. "Your soul, it is full beyond measure. I have never seen a stronger one. I don't know how you did it, but you seem fine."

"Then we better give this to Zakei," Morgen said as he grabbed the phial in Zakei's wallet. He uncorked the cap and poured the liquid down Zakei's throat.

cough cough Zakei began to awaken. "Where am I? Guys?"

"Good, Zakei is back. The Bashers are back together once again!"

"Bann?"

"Good to see you, Zakei. Now, we best be off."

"Hey Recks," Zakei whispered to Recks. "Is it just me, or does your brother seem a bit different?"

"He does. We all noticed it. His soul seemed to repair itself and… he was speaking to his creatures…"

"…" Zakei stopped and stared at Bann. Then he thought back to his duel against Avicenna.

'"Zakei! Zakei you must continue!"

'Who is there? Dar… Dark Magician Girl!'

"I will help you."

"As will I," said Dark Magician.

They both helped me, reawakening my soul. Did Bann's creatures do the same?'

"What's wrong, Zakei?"

"Nothing. I was just lost in though. Let's go," he said and hurried after the others.

As they continued up the path, it wasn't long before they met up with Creeset, a term for Cree that were released to slow down oncoming forces. Because they were released from the mind, they were generally weak and easy to get rid of, though they generally swarmed and had abilities that allowed them to continue swarming.

"Bugs. I hate bugs," Morgen drew his sword and began to slash away. "Mataza, now it's time for the slaughter."

"Good idea, Morgen. I summon Luster Dragon. Take care of these insects," Tiamat summoned his Sapphire Dragon Cree.

"D.D. Assailant, strike back," yelled Jigen as he too summoned his Cree.

"And I think I will use Gale Lizard!" Recks summoned his Cree as well. "We can take care of these bugs. You two still need to rest."

"I'm fine, but go right ahead," Bann told his brother.

"Be my guest," said a fatigued Zakei.

The bugs attacked with great force. They had made the corridor their home and were angry that it was intruded upon. They swarmed and fought. There were many of these Killer Needle bees, but they were no match for the combined might of the Bashers. Finally, the last bug fell.

"You slayed my insects," said a boy at the end of the corridor. "I can't believe you. I will destroy you for this. You are no match for my great power. I have connections to a gang of thugs."

"Oh yeah? I bet you are bluffing," Tiamat walked down the hall. "Prove that you can beat us. I'll take you on."

"I… I don't need to prove anything to you. I will smite you with my insects. I can't be beaten. I stick to my guns and I never fail."

"Let's test that. I challenge you to a duel."

"I don't have to accept your challenge."

"So, you are afraid…"

"No, you are afraid of me! I challenge you to a duel. The loser's soul gets tortured for all of eternity. He never gets to heaven and never sees the pearly gates."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I challenged you, but oh well. It's time to see if you have any bite to backup that bark. Duel!"

Next time on City of Fire: Bug vs. Dragon. The N00b Prince


	10. Bug vs Dragon The N00b Prince

Chapter 10: Bug vs. Dragon. The N00b Prince

"It's time to see if you have any bite to backup that bark. Duel!" Tiamat yelled at the young N00b at then end of the corridor.

"Fine. Then I, Donorlen, Prince of the N00bs, start this duel with Flying Kamekiri #1 in Defense Position!"

"Donorlen, huh? Then I, Tiamat, Master of Dragons, will destroy your pathetic insect with Spear Dragon. Spear Dragon, Spiral Twister!"

Spear Dragon, a small blue and yellow dragon, beat its wings above the field and opened its long beaked mouth. Out shot a green, spiral energy wave that struck the mantis and destroyed it. The wave continued after shooting through the exoskeleton and hit Donorlen in the heart, pushing him backwards.

"That's cheating. You can't hurt me when I am defending."

"My Spear Dragon has trample powers, so yes… I can."

"Fine, then I will use my Kamekiri's special ability to summon another bug, Pheromone Wasp. Then I start my turn by summoning Parasite Caterpillar. Caterpillar, attack Spear Dragon!"

Because Spear Dragon was switched to a weak defense after it attacked, the Caterpillar had no trouble destroying it.

"Now Pheromone Wasp, attack directly!"

The tiny wasp struck Tiamat in the chest. Tiamat fell to his needs and grasped his chest. The pain wasn't much, but he was still feeling the effects of his duel with Dismay.

"Tiamat! What's wrong?"

"Nothing… I'm fine. It was a weak attack."

"Good, because soon you will be dead. Now I special summon Petit Moth. I will end my turn by activating the Insect Barrier, preventing your insects from attacking." 'You may not have any bugs now, but you will soon.'

"Insect Barrier? Fine, I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth. Attack with Double Head Striker!"

A dragon whose body looked almost human appeared on the field. It had two heads where its arms should have been and a large spike where its head should been. Both heads lifted and shot out twin beams of blue and red light at Pheromone Wasp, but before hitting their target, a new insect took its place, covered in tentacles. It was seen for a split second and then covered in shadow.

"What is that thing? Behemoth, stop your attack."

"It's too late now. I have use the power of Mimic to switch my wasp with my Parasite Paracide. Once your attack completes, my parasite will infect your mind!"

The twin headed dragon's double onslaught finally reached the Parasite, which leapt up before getting destroyed and latched itself to Tiamat. It then proceeded to burrow into his body.

"Don't worry. My parasite won't infect you for long. My turn, and I will start by playing the Jade Insect Whistle," Donorlen pulled a little green, leaf-shaped whistle out of his pocket and played it. "You will learn what it does soon, but first, I summon the Cocoon of Evolution, wrapping it around my Petit Moth. Then I will attack your Behemoth with my Parasite Caterpillar."

The Caterpillar attacked. However, it was so weak that the Behemoth was able to destroy it easily, but before being destroyed, part of its body infected Behemoth.

"Now your monster is infected by my caterpillar. We each have a cocoon with a powerful insect in it now. Your turn…"

Tiamat started his turn, but too his shock, the monster that came to his mind was the same one that had just infected him. It began to emerge on its own, ripping out of Tiamat's body inflicting much pain to him. Tiamat fell to his knees, screaming in agony.

"Now do you see the power of my whistle? It drew Parasite Paracide out so he could inflict even more damage to you!"

"AHHHH!" Tiamat grabbed his sides as he fell over. The pain from the parasite was too much. He had no idea how much more he could take. He needed to get rid of it, and the best way was to defeat Donorlen. "I… will… kill you… summon… Mirage Dragon…"

"HA! You have activated the power of my Parasite! I stick to my guns, and here they are!"

The tentacles that were ripping out of Tiamat's body elongated and struck Mirage Dragon, turning it into an insectoid creature.

"What have you done?"

"Not I, my bugs."

"gack You… bastard…" Tiamat managed to say before he passed out.

"Well, it seems that he can't go on, so I am the victor!"

"No you aren't. He still has a lot of life in him and he hasn't given up. You can't do anything until he admits defeat," Bann yelled at the mistaken N00b.

"Fine, then now I summon Pinch Hopper. Oh no, I can't attack him. Damn you. I end my turn."

"Tiamat, you need to wake up. You haven't been beaten yet. Are you really gonna go down from a bit of aches?" Morgen yelled at his downed friend. "We may need a substitute."

"No, if we help him, then we admit his defeat and he dies. We can only hope he gets up. I shouldn't have let him go into battle. Not after our last duel," Jigen told his comrades.

"Last duel?"

"We fought… a Reckah… a powerful one…"

"…" all four stared from Jigen to Tiamat, unable to speak.

"I… I'm fine… cough." Tiamat started to get back on his feet. "I continue this duel… with Masked Dragon… and I switch Mirage Insect to the defensive."

"It's your funeral…" Donorlen began his turn, and his eyes opened wide, wider than any bug's. They were bright and ecstatic. "I attack your Masked Dragon with Pinch Hopper!"

Just like when Parasite Caterpillar attacked, his Pinch Hopper was no match for the Dragon/Insect of Tiamat and was destroyed and Donorlen took some damage.

"Good, with one insect gone, another takes its place! I summon Insect Queen!"

An enormous insect appeared on the field, sporting an enormous abdomen, six legs, and a humanoid face. Her power seemed to augment from the other insects on the field.

"Let's see you get past her!"

"Fine… I… sum…"

"Not so fast! Cocoon, unlock!"

At Doncorlen's beckoning, the cocoon on Tiamat's side of the field opened, revealing an enormous moth with violet wings and a brownish body. As it soared into the air, it spouted poisonous dust all over the place.

"You now have two giant bugs to deal with! You will not survive when I unleash the third! Mu ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Next time on City of Fire: Uncertain Victory


	11. Uncertain Victory

Chapter 11: Uncertain Victory

"You will not survive when I unleash the third! Mu ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"We'll see… since I can't do anything… I end my turn by placing my Masked Dragon in defense position."

"Good, now you will feel the poison of Poison Moth!"

The dust that had spread around the field started to glow. Where it hit Tiamat, his body burned. He was already feeling a lot of pain from Parasite Paracide. The tentacles kept coming in and out of his body and his insides felt like they would expel at any time.

'Three turns have passed since I placed my caterpillar in the cocoon. If I unlock it now, she will be unfinished. Just a few more turns my sweet.' "I start my turn by summoning Skull Mark Ladybug. Now I will have my Queen feed on it so she can attack!"

Insect Queen grabbed the little bug in its jaws and shoved it into its mouth, swallowing it whole. Then Insect Queen attacked, destroying the Mirage Insect/Dragon. Because it was in defense, Tiamat suffered no damage, but he was now down one monster. Once the attack ended, Insect Queen laid an egg, covered in slime, and set it on the field.

"My turn. I summon… nothing. I end my turn again…" Tiamat knew the situation was becoming desperate as Poison Moth reared its large wings again and spread poison over his already searing wounds.

"Ha! I activate two Pyro Clocks of Destiny, pushing time forward two turns. Now I can unlock my own cocoon, summoning the strongest of all insect monsters! Go Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth!"

An enormous moth, even bigger than the Poison Moth, burst out of its cocoon. It had two huge blue wings and a yellowish green body with two orange horns at the top of his head. Tiamat and the others stared at the horrible sight. It was much stronger than the other two insects.

"Meet my Great Moth, evolved to its fullest potential! And to add to this infestation of terror, I summon Leghul and use Cell Division to split him in two! Now Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, attack Masked Dragon!"

Beating its wings, the gigantic insect blew Masked Dragon away, leaving another Dragon, Spirit Ryu, in its place.

"Even that isn't strong enough to beat me! Now I feed one of my Leghul to my Insect Queen so she can attack!"

Insect Queen devoured another bug, allowing her to destroy Spirit Ryu. Then the second Leghul followed up by attacking Tiamat directly.

"Now do you see? I can't be beaten?"

"No, you have uncertain victory and I am about to prove you wrong. It is time to destroy you! I sacrifice Parasite Paracide…"

The parasite within him withered away and through his Tiamat's wounds, a light erupted.

"…to summon Armed Dragon! Now I use the power of Level Up! to increase his power even more!"

Armed Dragon appeared on the field, bathed in green light, which evolved him even further to the next level of his power.

"Now attack with Stamping Destruction!"

Armed Dragon jumped into the air and landed hard on the ground, shattering the Insect Barrier and inflicting damage to Donorlen.

"I transfer the power of Gate Guardian to Armed Dragon. Attack Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth and Insect Queen with Genocide Cutter!"

Blades on Armed Dragon's belly began to spin, unleashing three circular blades of lightning that obliterated all the insects and eggs on Donorlen's side of the field.

"Now you are wide open for a direct attack, N00b. Prepare for eternal torture! Poison Moth attack!"

Poison Moth struck its former master, exploding in a shower of poison dust, inflicting four times as much damage as it did to Tiamat.

"Goodbye Don… Armed Dragon attack with Armed Punisher!"

Armed Dragon swung a mighty fist at Donorlen, wiping out the rest of his life. Don hit the ground hard, screaming in agony as the shadows began to swallow him. His eyes went blank as his screams died down and he went silent.

"Thanks Armed Dragon cough," Tiamat said as he passed out, coughing up blood. He had survived, but Parasite Paracide had done its job. Blood seeped out of his mouth and many wounds. He lay flat on his stomach, unmoving, eyes white.

"Tiamat! Zakei, we gotta help him! Tiamat!" Bann yelled as he and Zakei rushed over to their injured friend.

"I don't have anymore potion, but I do have medicinal herbs. I can patch up his external wounds but…"

"There is no telling how much damage Tiamat suffered at the hands of that kid. Damn them. Damn them all. Zakei, you stay here with Morgen and take care of Tiamat. Recks, you and Jigen follow me. I'm heading up to the turrets to finish this once and for all!"

Next time on City of Fire: The Battle for the Tower Door: Leader of the Bashers


	12. The Battle for the Tower Door

Chapter 12: The Battle for the Tower Door: Leader of the Bashers

"Armed Dragon attack with Armed Punisher!"

Armed Dragon struck Donorlen with a mighty fist, knocking him down and draining his remaining soul. However, even though Don was defeated, Tiamat still suffered from the battle as well.

"Tiamat! Zakei, we gotta help him! Tiamat!" Bann yelled. He and Zakei tried to help their fallen friend. Unable to do anything at the moment, Bann walked to the end of the corridor and spoke to his fellow bashers, "There is no telling how much damage Tiamat suffered at the hands of that kid. Damn them. Damn them all. Zakei, you stay here with Morgen and take care of Tiamat. Recks, you and Jigen follow me. I'm heading up to the turrets to finish this once and for all!"

Bann ran through the doorway and Recks and Jigen followed. They headed up three flights of stairs, meeting little trouble, save the occasional broken step.

"We are getting closer to the tower. You'd expect the N00bs would have more security. Do you think Don could really have been their strongest guard?" asked Recks.

"I doubt it, but it's still strange," answered his brother.

"There, there is the top. We head down through that door and down the corridor. Another door leads to the tower," Jigen informed them. He had worked in the castle his whole life as a seer and knew his way around quite well. His ability to sense shadow magic was a great asset to the team.

Recks and Bann followed Jigen's words and headed down the hallway to the door.

"Stop."

"Stop? Why?"

"Try the door. You shall see."

Bann grabbed the handle with both hands but couldn't budge it open. After a few failed attempts he said, "It's no use. I can't get through it."

"I sense powerful shadow magic keeping this door locked."

"N00bian?" asked Recks.

"No… I sense Chaos…"

"So, something has turned this into a Chaos Gate. Leave this to me. I summon Dark Blade and Gold Knight. Attack the Chaos Gate!"

A dark and light knight appeared and attacked the doorway.

"If I can generate enough Dark and Light Energy, I may be able to make a Chaos Miasma with enough power to break open the lock."

"You won't open it that way. I assure you…" said a hooded man walking toward them down the hallway.

"Dark Blade, Gold Knight!"

The two knights turned from the door and aimed their swords at the hooded man who continued to walk toward them.

"You turn your weapons toward me? Fine, let's see how far your knights make it before being obliterated."

Both knights rushed at the hooded man, who evade both attacks from the knights, jumped backwards, and threw off his cloak, revealing an endless hole of darkness, which sucked both warriors in, where they vanished. The three boys covered their eyes and held onto whatever they could so as to not get sucked in themselves. As the wind pulling them in subsided, the three looked at the man who had cast the Dark Hole.

"Roo… Rooko!"

"Rooko? Teacher? What are you doing here?"

"Am I not a Basher as well? Look at you all. You are all wrecks… and reckless. If I hadn't come now, you probably would all be dead. Where are the others?"

"Zakei suffered wounds while battling a powerful N00b alchemist. He isn't hurt now, but he is tending to Tiamat's wounds. He almost lost to an even more powerful N00b. Morgen is guarding them both."

"Pfft… there is no such thing as a powerful N00b. Have I taught you all nothing! You are weak if you could be injured by…"

"We aren't making this up!" Bann yelled at Rooko.

"You dare interrupt me?"

"Yes, yes I do. The N00bs that have taken the tower are different. Surely you have seen the Cree that sits perched atop the tower. It is no ordinary Cree, and I believe it may be giving the N00bs even more power."

"…" Rooko glowered at his student.

"You said that there was something different about this gate. Why couldn't we open it?"

"It is true that Light and Darkness is the key… but it requires a battle, a duel."

"A duel to open the Chaos Gate?"

"Yes, it was a trap set for me. I am sorry that you are caught up in this. WRAITH!"

"So, you knew I was here."

"Yes I did. I have been pondering your words since we last met.

"You should, for we are connected. Think of me as your brother, Old Man."

"You speak our tongue?"

"I speak many languages when I want. We shall meet again on the aerie, Old Man, but until then, I leave you with this parting gift." The wraith vanished. Water began to fill the room.

"You are my shadow. I am a creature born of my own darkness. You are a Sinwraith."

"Yes, you truly are remarkable. I am your Sinwraith. Your heart created chaos when the N00bs slayed your family. A heart so pure as yours was quickly tainted by darkness. Since Light and Darkness cannot be together at once, chaos forced me into existence and through me out of your heart. I have been waiting for the day to take my revenge. Sinwraiths hate their existence and have only the wish to destroy their creators to they can destroy themselves."

"So you set up a situation where I would be forced to duel you. If I win, since we share one soul, you die and bring me down with you. If you win, we both die. Sounds like fun. I accept your challenge. I will start by summoning a shadow monster and casting two spells."

"It seems we think alike. This will make our last moments interesting. I summon a shadow monster as well and cast two spells. Go."

"Alright. I summon my Agent of Creation, Venus. I now use her Special Ability to Special Summon three Mystical Shine Balls. Then I have my Shine Balls attack with Delta Strike!"

The golden angel appeared and brought three small orbs of light with her. The three orbs shot off beams of light that struck the wraith. Both suffered equal damage.

"Now I will have Venus attack your shadow monster."

Venus struck the monster, but was thrown back by a mysterious force.

"You didn't think I wouldn't give you some sport, did you? I activate Archfiend's Grasp!"

A monstrous hand rose up and grabbed Venus, pulling her down into the shadows. Vilepawn Archfiend appeared behind it next to the shadow monster.

"Now do you see? I truly am your darkness. I have a Creepool filled with Archfiend Monsters that completely counteract your Archlords! It is time for your soul to feel my pain and anguish!"

Next time on City of Fire: Open the Chaos Gate!


	13. Open the Chaos Gate!

Chapter 13: Open the Chaos Gate!

"My monsters completely counteract yours. It is time for you to feel my pain and anguish!"

"Whatever. I end my turn. Go ahead and do your worst."

"Good. I lose some of my soul at the beginning of my turn, but I can transfer an equal amount of damage to you, leaving you Battle-Scarred. Now I reveal my Infernalqueen Archfiend. Then I sacrifice my pawn to summon Archfiend of Gilfer. Now it is time to bring you to the far reaches of hell! Pandemonium!"

The entire room changed. Everyone felt the sensation of falling, but they felt high in the air at the same time. A sense of flying fell through the room. The walls changed into black pillars of brimstone and the floor seeped with magma. The cries of a thousand demons echoed throughout the hellish lair.

"Welcome to my world, Rooko! The Lair of Ten-Thousand Demons!"

"Just get on with your turn. Your illusions don't frighten me."

"… Fine. Now I will have Archfiend of Gilfer attack Venus and my queen will attack your shining ball."

Gilfer flew into the air, glowing red as a phoenix and crashed down on Venus below. Then Infernalqueen shot a trail of fire at one of the glowing orbs, shattering it.

"Activate Dispersal Prism! This halves the damage I take this turn and inflicts that amount to you."

As the two attacks came at Rooko's soul, half of it flew back at Sinwraith, inflicting equal damage to both.

"You are doing well. We are completely evenly matched. I expected no less of you."

"My turn… I start by sacrificing one of my Mystical Shine Balls to summon the Agent of Judgment, Saturn."

Another angel appeared on the field, this one violet. She had violet wings and violet clothes, with bits of golden ornaments adorning her.

"Then I switch my Shine Ball to Defense Position and reveal my Agent of Wisdom, Mercury from the shadows."

A blue angel revealed himself from the shadows. He was adorned with silver and held a golden tome under his left arm.

"Then I use Ancient Wisdom to increase his Attack by his Defense. Now my monsters, attack!"

"Archfiend of Gilfer, use Sakuretsu Armor!"

Gilfer became covered in rock-hard spikes. As soon as Saturn touched it, she was immediately destroyed.

"Then I use Disarment to destroy your Ancient Wisdom."

Mercury's Attack dropped to nothing. He was easy kill for Infernalqueen.

"I use Triple Decree, reducing some of the damage I take and using it to increase your weakest monster's attack. Then I use Solar Ray."

Mystical Shine Ball began to glow in a blinding light, reducing more of Sinwraith's dark soul. The two continued to play on an equal plain. They had already caused each other to lose exactly the same amount of soul.

"This has to be the most evenly matched duel ever. Not once has the other taken advantage… well, as far as damage goes," Recks said but saw that his teacher would probably not survive the next attack from Sinwraith with a field of only one weak monster.

"You lose now, Rooko! Mu ha ha ha ha ha ha! I will finally be set free!"

"I am not out yet. I have my ace. DARK HOLE!"

Just like before, a hole of infinite darkness appeared on the field. It sucked everything in, letting nothing out. When the hole closed itself again, Mystical Shine Ball, Infernalqueen, and Gilfer were all gone.

'That is it. That is Rooko's true darkness. His Dark Hole is his soul's expression of what happened to Rooko's family. Teacher… you have to win."

"How is Tiamat?"

"He's fine now. I was able to seal his wounds, but he may end up with some nasty scars. I was also able to fix his innards. He will be fine, physically. He still needs to rest his soul."

click

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"Show yourself, N00b!"

Another boy appeared in the room. He was short, dark, and had a raven perched on his shoulder.

"How did you know I was spying on you?"

"Did you think I couldn't smell your filth?"

The boy scowled at Morgen and said, "Well, at least I don't look like the bitch I am."

"Take that back you bastard or I will make you."

"Try me."

"Fine. I will summon my Masaki the Legendary Swordsman. Your move."

"It's time for I, the great Yata, to put you into the Yatalock! I fuse my Spirit Reaper and Nightmare Horse to summon Reaper on the Nightmare! Now attack him directly and destroy part of his mind and soul!"

"So, you have destroyed my monsters, but now you are even more defenseless. Ah! I have just the Cree to end this duel. A monster I am sure you are familiar with. The first one we ever summoned when we were a child, back when we were one."

"Go ahead. He isn't strong enough to defeat me."

"That has always been your greatest weakness. You hated that monster, so to trained yourself hard, developing "stronger" and "better" Cree. That is why you locked him up along with the other dark parts of your soul, so when I was born, I brought him with me. It was I who saw the potential in the warrior who you never gave a chance. It is I who unlocked that potential. And it is we who will destroy you. I summon Warrior of Zera."

A green and blue clad warrior rose from the hellfire and brimstone. He carried and sword and had two red horns on his helmet. He looked human… except his eyes began to glow red and he began to grow claws and wings. His body shifted from that of a human to that of a demon with enormous strength. Fangs grew in place of his teeth and two eyes formed on his chest. The horns on his head grew more distinguished.

"Wha… what have you done to him?"

"Not what I have done. This is what happens to someone who is shut up in the darkness for so long. They turn into a creature of darkness as well. Meet Mazera DeVille!"

Darkness enveloped the field, striking Rooko's mind hard, weakening him and leaving him defenseless. Mazera took its chance and flew in for the kill. Recks, Jigen, and Bann looked on in horror. This was it. Rooko was going to die.

"I'm not done yet. I use Negate Attack!"

Mazera's massive claw went right through Rooko, appearing on the other side of his body.

"You lose."

"Take a closer look at your monster."

Sinwraith looked at Mazera's claw. It hadn't even touched Rooko. In fact, Rooko had generated another hole in space that Mazera's arm went through and landed behind him. Rooko had managed to save himself.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Your puny Yata-Garasu can't beat me. I have broken your Yatalock. Now, Mataza and Getsu Fuhma, attack directly and get rid of this ridiculous N00b."

Both samurai struck Yata, slashing three large gashes into his body. Then Morgen jumped in for the kill, pulling out his own katana and stabbing the already dead N00b in the heart.

"There, we finally have some peace and quiet. That N00b so no trouble at all."

"My turn, and I start by casting the Spell, Pot of Greed. This allows me to add more Spells or Cree from my Creepool to my mind." 'I am sorry Zera. I didn't mean to do this to you. I need your strength now. I need to help those boys.' "I think it's about time for a change of scenery. We have seen hell, so now its time to head towards the Sanctuary in the Sky, heaven's gates."

The field changed again. They rose from the depths of hell and landed in the bright light above the clouds. Rooko stood in front of a large gate that guarded an enormous castle floating in the sky on a large rock. Sinwraith stood on a small floating rock. In front of him stood Mazera, covering its eyes from the purifying light of the sanctuary. Recks, Jigen, and Bann stood on another floating rock overlooking the battle.

"And now, I use Monster Reborn. This spell is quite special. It revives a monster that I had locked away long ago. Warrior of Zera, arise."

Warrior of Zera appeared on the field once again, standing on the huge stone next to Rooko. Once again he began to change, but this time, he took a less painful transformation. He grew two large angelic white wings. His sword became more slender and helm and armor became whiter. He had changed into a powerful seraph. He then took flight, hovering in front of the sanctuary, bathing in its glow.

"Meet the true Warrior of Zera, Archlord Zerato. Boys, this is where the duel ends. I prepare to make one final strike. As soon as these two monsters of Light and Darkness clash, the Chaos Gate will open. Go now."

"But Rooko, what will happen…"

"I said go. I will be fine. Zerato, attack Mazera now!"

Zerato and Mazera flew at each other, meeting halfway through the field. Their epic battle began. Mazera swiped at Zerato with his massive claws, while Zerato struck Mazera with his sword. Both exploded in a chaotic blast. The sanctuary, Rooko, Sinwraith, and their Cree were gone. Bann walked over to the gate and opened it.

"Let's go."

Next time on City of Fire: Fulfillment of Contract


	14. Fulfillment of Contract

Chapter 14: Fulfillment of Contract

"Rooko?" Recks called out into the shadows.

"Rooko… you fool…" Jigen whispered as he looked down at the ground.

"Enough. Rooko Sensei gave his live so we could fight on," Bann turned away from his friends as he spoke and headed for the unsealed Chaos Gate. "We have to honor him by following his orders." He turned the handle and opened the gate. "Let's go."

Recks and Jigen finally turned away from where they had watched their master fall and followed Bann up the steps to the tower's aerie. The spiraled staircase held a treacherous path. They were so close to the dark Cree now. Creeset spawned all around them, attacking. Jigen, Recks, and Bann all dodged their attackers, trying to conserve as much Cree as possible.

"I think we are almost there. Just a little further to the top."

"Stop Bann."

"What? Why?"

"There is something approaching… Dismay," Jigen's eyes widened as he said his last words.

"What's so dismal?"

"I am," said a phantom voice. "I am so glad you remember me Jigen."

"Show yourself you Reckah."

"Reckah? The banished ones?"

"Yes, I come from that race who Queen Janime IV banished so long ago. But she should have heeded our warning. We told her we would strike her square. But you know how prophecies go. They are always misinterpreted."

"Her square. You mean Queen Janime XVI, four squared. What have you done to the queen?"

"Nothing yet. I am much more interested in you and your dragon friend."

"Tiamat? What do you want us?"

Black smoke poured onto the stairs and shaped into a man. Dismay, dressed in his black robes, walked out of the darkness and stood in front of the three.

"Why, only to collect what is mine, of course," spoke the newly shaped sorcerer.

"Is he the one who dueled you?" asked Bann.

"Yes, and what do you mean by what is yours?" Jigen inquired.

"Have you forgotten already? I beat you and your friend in a duel. I let you live only so I could fulfill the contract you both agreed too."

"Contract! What are you talking about?"

"A little known fact about dueling. The loser forfeits his soul to the winner. I own your soul, Jigen! And I want it now!"

The black smoke poured out from Dismay's robes, covering the stares with a thick layer of black mist. When the smoke touched Jigen, it traveled up his body. He was forced to inhale the thick blackness, causing his body to go limp.

"There, that wasn't so hard. Your soul is mine, Jigen. Now, do as I wish."

Jigen's eyes opened again. He stood up straight and glared at his comrades. His irises burned in a bright red as he smirked and laughed uncontrollably at the brothers.

"D.D. Warrior Lady attack!" Jigen said in a hoarse voice.

The silver clad lady appeared out of the Different Dimension, catching Recks by surprise and striking him in the chest. Recks hit the ground hard, blood pouring out of his wound.

"Recks!"

"Now do you see my power? I have turned one against you. You can't defeat him. If you try, you will only kill him."

Bann ran down the steps to help out Recks.

"Sto… cough… stay Bann. You have cough to head to the top of the tower. I will…" Recks had a hard time talking. The sneak attack had knocked the wind out of him. He slowly rose to his feet and took a dueling stance. "I will hold him off. Go now!"

Bann stared at his brother for a moment, then turned, and ran.

"Well Jigen, practice is over. This time it's for real."

"We still haven't had any problems. Something is wrong," Morgen continued to stare at the door. "I can't stand this waiting." He turned toward Zakei and began, "Maybe I should go… Tiamat! Tiamat your awa… what? What happened to Zakei?"

Tiamat slowly turned toward Morgen. His eyes glowed red in the dim light. "I killed him," he said in a hoarse, raspy voice.

Morgen could now make out blood staining his fingers. He looked at Zakei's body, lying still on the floor and could now see the knife sticking out of his belly.

"What madness is this? What the hell did you do to him?"

"The same thing I am going to do to you. Luster Dragon, attack him!"

"What the…? That's a N00by move! Getsu Fuhma, defend!"

Morgen summoned his long-haired samurai. However, Tiamat gave him little time to make his move, so Getsu Fuhma was struck down in attack position, which meant Morgen would take damages.

"You cheating son of a bitch! I cast a spell. What the hell kind of an opening move was that?"

"A good one, especially if I wanna inflict as much pain to you as possible, my big-mouthed friend."

"Big… big mouth! I'll show you a big mouth!"

"I'm sure you will, but first, I would like to kill you. Luster Dragon, attack directly."

"I spring my trap, A Rival Appears. It lets me summon a monster whose power matches yours. I summon Trample Shogun."

A warrior wearing traditional Japanese armor appeared on the field. He wore white armor and road on horseback.

"Hmm… your Shogun is stronger than my monster. I end my turn."

"Good. It's time I attacked you. Shogun, strike."

Trample Shogun drew his long sword and struck Luster Dragon, destroying it.

"Well, at least now I know you will fight. My turn. I summon Masked Dragon. Now I attack you."

Masked Dragon attacked the shogun, but was easily destroyed.

"Foolish move…"

"Was it? I now summon Armed Dragon. Then I can use the power of Level Up! to evolve it."

The little Armed Dragon was surrounded by a familiar red light that caused him to age into his next level.

"Now I can destroy your Shogun. I transfer the power of Luster Dragon #2 to my Armed Dragon. Now attack with Armed Punisher!"

Spikes rocketed out of Armed Dragon, hitting Shogun and destroying him.

"Your turn," Tiamat smirked.

"My turn. I summon Uraby." 'This is bad. If I attack, my Uraby will be sucked into the different dimension and I won't be able to defend myself, but if I don't attack, he can summon a stronger monster to destroy my Uraby and then attack me directly. I am already injured.' Recks grabbed his chest as he thought out his move. "I cast a spell and end my turn."

"Bad move. I summon D.D. Assailant. Now attack his Uraby!"

D.D. Assailant, another warrior from the different dimension, carried a large sword. Even though it was quite heavy, she was trained to be nimble and agile with it. She jumped into the air and struck Uraby, inflicting even more damage to Recks. Then D.D. Warrior Lady charged at Recks to strike again. Jigen didn't take Recks' bluff and Recks was once again struck by his warrior lady. Recks staggered and fell. His soul was now in half. A few more hits and he would be dead.

'I'm out of options. Do I fight… or do I let him kill me? What would Jigen want?' "…"

"This is too easy. Are you letting me win? If you are, I will just have to kill your brother next."

"!"

"Didn't like that? THEN FIGHT ME!11!1337! J00 r th3 SUXXORS!"

"What has he done to you?" 'Wait, was he trying to tell me something?' "I see, I start my turn by summon not one, but two Gilasauruses. Then I summon a shadow monster and fuse one of my Gilasauruses with my Chitoptera to summon Horned Saurus. Now to reveal my Horned Saurus' special ability. During the turn it summoned, I can attack directly with him! Horned Saurus, Dark Screecher!"

Horned Saurus flew high up into the air. It could clearly be seen as a large purple pteradactyl now. As it beat its wings, it made a loud super sonic screech that hit Jigen in the chest and knocked him backwards.

"Then I attack your D.D. Warrior Lady with my Gilasaurus!"

Gilasaurus struck the warrior lady with its jaws while D.D. Warrior Lady stabbed it down the back with her sword. Both were then pulled into the different dimension and vanished from the game.

Jigen lifted himself off the ground. "… ptuh" He spit some blood out of his mouth and licked his lips. "So you've got some fight in you after all. Don't you care?"

"The real Jigen would rather have his soul sealed than be a puppet."

"So, you think I'm not the real Jigen? How about a demonstration of my power? D.D. Assailant, attack his Horned Saurus!"

D.D. Assailant struck Horned Saurus with her flamberge. Before she was destroyed, she absorbed both herself and Horned Saurus into the different dimension.

"You see, I am Jigen the Invincible!"

Next time on City of Fire: Friend or F03?


	15. Friend or F03?

Chapter 15: Friend or F03?

D.D Assailant jumped in the air and struck Horned Saurus, sucking both into the different dimension. Armed Dragon launched its arsenal of spike missiles at Trample Shogun. Bann continued on his path up the stairs. Zakei's body lay limp on the ground, his body in a pool of blood. The Bashers were all fighting for their lives.

"You see, I am Jigen the Invincible!" Jigen ended his turn by setting a shadow beast.

"No, I don't see. My turn. I reveal Gale Lizard. Now I can send one monster on the field back to your mind. Say goodbye to your shadow beast."

The shadows vanished from a small orange wyvern with large wings. It rose into the air and blew a gust of wind, ridding the field of the set monster.

"Now I will use this spell, Ultra Evolution Pill, to evolve my Gale Lizard to the next level of power."

The small wyvern flew down to Recks and swallowed the small pill in his hand. Soon after, it began to change and grow. Its wings shortened and vanished, changing into small arms. Its head reshaped itself and its tail grew long. Spikes grew over is darkening body and large sharp fangs grew in its mouth. The transformation was complete.

"Meet my Black Tyranno. Now prepare to die. You don't have anything to protect yourself now. Now my ancient beast, strike him down!"

Black Tyranno charged, grabbing Jigen in its powerful jaws and biting down. Blood poured down Jigen's clothes.

"Blood? Delicious!"

"You're sick…"

"You're done for."

"I don't think so. I summon Mataza the Zapper and have him attack with Double Strike."

Mataza flew at Armed Dragon and slashed it twice with his sword, slaying the dragon.

"Very good. Very good. I activate Call of the Haunted to bring my dragon back."

Sure enough, Armed Dragon revived and let out a roar.

"Now I use Armed Punisher again, transferring the power of Twin-Headed Behemoth to the grave to destroy Mataza."

"I'm wide open. Come and get me!"

"Armed Dragon, ATTACK!"

Armed Dragon flew at Morgen, hitting him hard. Morgen went flying across the room, landing on his back. His eyes blurred as his soul was shredded from the strike.

"Two more. Two more hits and I'm dead. My turn! I summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman! I cannot kill you. Come and get me Tiamat."

"You fool. I never liked you. I would love to see you slain by my own hand. Armed Dragon, atta… atta…" 'Why can't I call my attack?'

"I am wide open. I said, come and get me!"

"You can't fight your own friend. I won't let you. We won't let you."

'Dai Grepher?'

"Tiamat, return to your former self. Your friend needs your help," Warrior Dai Grepher put his hand on Tiamat's shoulder. Behind him stood many of the Cree in his Creepool.

'Mor…Morgen…'

'This is it. This must be my chance to strike, but I could kill him."

"You have to do it."

'Am I going crazy? I could have sworn that Masaki just spoke to me.'

"I did. We are connected, Morgen. I am your Cree, a part of you. You must strike down Tiamat now. It is the only way to expel the darkness within him."

'Alright, do it Masaki, but you aren't alone.' "I summon Getsu Fuhma back to the field using Premature Burial. Then I use Hadoken to increase Getsu Fuhma's attack and ability. Now, Getsu Fuhma, attack!"

Getsu Fuhma's sword transformed into a Waveblade. He ran at Armed Dragon and struck him across the chest. Both monsters were destroyed in a firey explosion. The Waveblade shot out of the fire, broken in half, and pierced Morgen's lung.

"Mor…gen…" Tiamat started.

Morgen started to call his second attack, but his punctured lung couldn't force enough air through his mouth to make a sound.

"Morgen, you must call your attack. It is the only way we can win. With Armed Dragon gone, the spell over Tiamat is faultering."

'I can't. I can't speak.' Morgen's knee's buckled and he fell to the ground. He coughed up blood from his mouth.

"You have to attack now! Just call your attack and I will do the rest!"

"Ma…Masaki…"

Masaki lifted his blade.

"At… cough… ack…" Morgen coughed up more blood and passed out.

Masaki turned his head to Morgen. It was good enough for him. He charged at Tiamat and struck him.

"You can't beat me with that weak little samurai!"

"My turn. I summon my Dimensional Warrior. Then I use Soul Absorbtion and Soul Release. I can now absorb the souls of your deceased dinos."

The souls of Gilasaurus, Chitoptera, Uraby, and Gale Lizard rose from the grave. Then Jigen held out his hand and absorbed all three, feeding his own soul.

"Now I will have my Dimensional Warrior attack your Black Tyranno!"

Dimensional Warrior attacked and both went into the Different Dimension, but not before giving Jigen another boost of strength.

"Cast one spell and end my turn."

"…"

"What? Did I just rid you of your best monster? Get over it kid!"

"Not by a long shot. I Special Summon another Gilasaurus. Since you don't have any monsters in your Graveyard, you can't summon anything. Then I use Cost Down and sacrifice my Gilasaurus for Tyrant Dragon. My dragon has quite the attack power, and you have nothing to protect yourself. Tyrant Dragon attack!"

Tyrant Dragon spread its mighty wings and opened its large jaws. Then it let out a powerful roar and launched a fireball at Jigen. Jigen ignited upon impact and he let out a blood-curdling scream.

"I'm sorry my friend. I cast a spell and end my turn."

"Heh… heh heh… ha ha ha ha!"

"What's so funny!"

"You! You crack me up! You still think of me as your friend, even when you try and kill me! We are certainly not friends any more. J00 r th3 SUXXORZ! J00 r mi f03! Mi tern. ! summ0n mi p0w3rfu1 D.D. Warriors back to the field. Itz time 4 j00 2 get pwned! Return from the Different Dimension! Now, I have my D.D Assailant attack your Tyrant Dragon, removing both from the field!"

D.D. Assailant, like Dimensional Warrior did earlier, struck Tyrant Dragon. Both monsters were immediately transported to the Different Dimension. Then, after some damage, Jigen absorbed the power of the two monsters.

"Now I attack you directly with my Dimensional Warrior and D.D. Warrior Lady!"

Both warriors struck Recks, bringing his life down to its last bit.

"Now, I return both my warriors to the different dimension and end my turn. Next turn, you die!" Jigen said as both his monsters vanished and his life increased again.

'How do I beat him? If I win, he dies. Hell, how do I even beat him in a turn? I'm in a lot of trouble here.'

"You have to defeat him. I will help you."

'Who the heck are you?'

"Don't you remember me? I was your first Cree."

'… Cave Girl?'

She giggled and said, "Yep."

She was a young, beautiful girl wearing animal furs. Recks began to remember her.

'I haven't seen you in a while… but right now I have bigger problems.'

"Recks, you have to defeat Jigen. It's the only way to save him."

'But won't I…'

"No, the soul at stake in this duel is not his own. The dark soul that consumes him is at stake. Defeat it and you will release Jigen."

'You sure?'

"Um… yeah, I think. Either that… or you'll kill him."

'Great.' "My turn, Jigen. It's time to end this. I summon Cave Girl!"

Cave Girl appeared on the field in front of Recks.

"I'm sorry I have to do this Jigen. I can now sacrifice my Cave Girl to summon any Dinosaur from my Creepool at the cost of half its original attack."

"You don't have enough life left to sacrifice."

"That's why I'm summoning a Dino with no attack. I summon Tyranno Infinity!"

A small tyrannosaurus rex appeared on the field in front of Recks.

"What will that do?"

"Thanks to you, its attack power is about to take a huge boost! For every one of my Dinos that have been removed from this dimension by your monsters, he gains an attack boost. I count six."

Tyranno Infinity started to absorb the souls of the downed Dinos. It was enveloped in a white aura as it grew in size.

"Now, Tyranno Infinity, attack Jigen and end this duel!"

The carnivore attacked Jigen, striking him with its teeth, just like Black Tyranno did. As they sank in, Jigen's eyes lost their red glow and went white. Tyranno Infinity stopped its attack and vanished. When it released its grip, Jigen fell onto the steps.

"You can't beat me with that weak samurai!"

"I'm afraid… cough… I can.

Masaki unsheathed a second, longer sword. His attack almost tripled as he brought both swords down on Tiamat who flew backwards. The faint glow left his eyes as he passed out.

'What have I done?' Morgen asked himself as he fell backwards onto the cold stone floor and also fell unconscious.

"Jigen!" Recks screamed as he ran to his friend's side, forgetting his wounds. His left arm was numb and his right leg could barely move.

Recks fell at his friend's side.

"Don't worry Recks. His soul is weak, but he's still alive. Just give him time to recover."

'Are you sure?'

"Yes, Cree are very in tune to the human soul. I can sense it. You may want to rest as well."

'I suppose I should. My life is very low right now. I hope the others are okay.'

Darkness filled the field, surrounding a man. Light flashed all over. The man opened his eyes. He stood up on the hard rock surface and looked around.

"Where am I? How am I still alive?"

He walked backwards until he hit a large metal gate.

"The sanctuary?"

"So Rooko, you finally woke. I don't know how you did it, but you have brought us into Chaos."

"Sinwraith…"

"I believe you owe me one soul. This duel isn't over yet."

Next time on City of Fire: Darkness into Light


	16. Light into Darkness

Chapter 16: Darkness into Light

'Just a few more flights and I'm there.'

"Hey Bann."

'Gearfried, good to see you.'

"Same with you. I have a bad feeling."

'So do I, but we need to continue.'

"Dar… Dark Magician Girl? Pikeru?"

"Master! You are awake!"

Zakei turned his head slightly to see Dark Magician Girl's blood soaked hand. She held a long skinny dagger in it.

'What happened to me?'

"A dark aura overcame Tiamat and he stabbed you. You mustn't move. Pikeru is healing your wounds."

'Alright. Tell me something. I didn't summon either of you. How did you appear?'

"I think that as your power grows, so do we."

"Right." 'I remember now. During the duel with Avicenna, you and Dark Magician spoke to me. How is that possible? Can my own power be giving you life?'

"It's possible."

"I have to… get up…"

"Master, you are still too weak."

"I'm fine. I can walk at least. Besides, my friends need help also. Pikeru, tend to Morgen. I will help Tiamat."

Pikeru hopped off to Morgen and started to cast her healing spell on him. Zakei slowly got up with the help of Dark Magician Girl. He rubbed his gut where the wound had been. Pikeru hadn't finished healing it so it was still quite soar, but at least it was closed. He walked over to Tiamat and started to cast his own healing spell. It wasn't strong, but he would at least revive him.

"Zakei."

"Wa… whoa," Zakei fell backwards. "Warrior Dai Grepher? You aren't in my Creepool."

"Since you too can interact with your Cree, I can now interact with you. Please, you must heal Master Tiamat. He didn't mean to cause such harm."

"I know. I'll do what I can."

"Thank you."

Zakei started to recite the spell again and looked over at Pikeru, who was contently talking to Masaki while she healed Morgen.

"So you guys can talk to each other too. Hmm, what do you talk about?"

"Whatever pops into our heads. We know what you know," Dark Magician Girl answered him.

'Oh, well just don't give away my secrets,' Zakei thought to her, giving her a wink.

Dark Magician Girl blushed and walked over to Pikeru. Pikeru looked like quite the chatterbox, and she was cute too. She also was quite handy with her healing charm, since Morgen started to sputter and woke up.

"Pikeru, give Morgen enough energy to walk and then help me here, please."

She turned and gave Zakei a smile. "Okay."

"Get up Jigen."

A boy with red hair and silver armor, covered with large, blue, eye-shaped gems. He sat at Jigen's side, nudging him to get up.

"Come on Jigen."

"It's no good. I can't get Recks up either."

"We have to keep trying. Hey, maybe the others can help us. You stay here and I'll look for them."

"Alright, go ahead Dimensional Warrior."

"Seeya!" Dimensional Warrior waved at Cave Girl as he jumped through a portal and vanished.

"Hurry up. Recks, hang on."

"One soul, huh? I don't know how you do your math, so let's figure it out. I activate Zero Recovery to Special Summon Mercury."

Rooko's blue angel reappeared on the field. It was kneeling down and it crossed its arms over its chest to protect itself.

"Another weak move by a weak opponent. My turn and I summon my Shadowknight Archfiend!"

A dark skeletal knight appeared on the field. Long blue hair flowed from his head and long glowing red blade replaced his right arm. His left arm was shield-like with a large glowing red claw at the bottom.

"Attack Mercury."

Mercury didn't stand a chance and Shadowknight sliced right through him.

"Cast two spells and end turn."

"My turn. Good, I cast two spells and summon the Agent of Force, Mars." 'Right now it has no attack power, but hopefully, I can change that.' "I end my turn."

A red angel appeared on the field. He held a long-handled hammer and had bluish wings with a red tint. A red tunic adorned his muscular body.

"Good, my turn. I activate Archfiend's Oath and pay some of my life to add more Cree to my mind. Monster Cree."

A dark red aura wrapped around Sinwraith. It moved towards his hands, which he cupped as it collected into a red orb of concentrated dark energy.

"Now I summon the Cree I just collected."

Sinwraith lifted his right arm. In it, the orb of energy sat and lifted in the air, exploding in a flash of bright red. As the light faded, a large skeletal demon stood up. He had a bulbous head that looked like a crown and long, red robes draping his body. In his black hands, he held a dark blue sword. His eyes glowed in the same red light as the orb.

"Meet Terrokind Archfiend."

"You fool. If you don't beat me now, then you will lose."

"Trust me, you will lose. I activate Double Attack. I transfer the power of Skull Archfiend of Lightning to my Terrorking to let him attack twice. Then I sacrifice my knight so I can strike the final blow with my king."

Terrorking lifted his sword and flew at Rooko.

"I won't die. Light of Judgment!"

The sanctuary erupted in light. It shot upwards and crashed back down on Terrorking Archfiend. The intense light vaporized the creature of darkness.

"Don't you see? In this realm of chaos, we aren't equal anymore. Don't you see? If I strike you down now, I fear no risk to endanger myself. In fact, we are completely separate, but it is time for that separation to end. I was wrong to lock away my feelings. I was wrong about many things. But it is time to accept the darkness. Say goodbye Sinwraith."

"Quite the speech. But I will prove you wrong. I use Desrook Archfiend to revive my Terrorking. Then I cast a spell and end my turn."

'Damn. I was going to attack him with Mars. Our new difference in life gave him enough power to beat him in a direct strike. What should I do?' "I have to finish this now. My turn. I cast two spells and activate Beckoning Light."

The sanctuary glowed again, this time in a much fainter light. An orb of pure white light shined at the top like a lighthouse beacon. Archlord Zerato, Saturn, Mercury, and Venus appeared in front of the sanctuary and then vanished.

"Next, I sacrifice Mars to summon Saturn to the field."

Mars vanished from the field and Saturn, the violet angel, took its place.

"Now I can use Saturn's special ability to strike your soul directly, just like your Terroking did. However, the damage you receive will be equal to the difference between the amount of life we have left. Seeing as I have much more than you, prepare for the end."

Saturn's purple aura thickened. She vanished within it, leaving the field soaked in the black light.

"No, I can't be beaten. Not this way!"

Sinwraith's eyes widened and he laughed maliciously as he pulled out an oddly marked golden gun. He aimed it at Rooko… and fired.

BANG

The shot rang throughout the space they were in, hitting its target and dropping Rooko to the ground.

"You see? We are equal once again! We are one and the same!"

"I… am not the same as you. I activate Silent Doom, Special Summoning Warrior of Zera. Then I transform him into Archlord Zerato. Now, attack with Light Force!"

Zerato lifted his mighty sword, absorbing a vast amount of electricity into it, which it shot like a cannon at Terrorking.

"I wanted to make this fair. If you can defeat Zerato on the next turn, I will give up. But if you can't… you die, and I swear it."

"Good, good. You are truly starting to act like me. Your malice is unmatched. My turn, and I start with Archfiend's Roar. Now, at the cost of some more life, I can summon another Archfiend to the field. Meet my Skull Archfiend of Lightning. Next, I use Falling Down to take over your Archlord!"

Zerato transformed into Mazera and flew to the opposite side of the field.

"Now you die. Mazera DeVille, attack!"

Mazera lifted its mighty claw and flew at Rooko.

'I won't die.' "Activate Hallowed Life Barrier."

A barrier of light surrounded Rooko. Mazera's claw's bounced off the shield, purifying him and changing him back into Zerato.

"No, you knew I couldn't win. You knew and you set the trap for me."

Skull Archfiend crumbled and vanished into dust. Zerato turned around lifted its sword, and struck Sinwraith.

"Quickly, this way."

"Right behind you Zakei."

Zakei, Tiamat, and Morgen ran up three flights of steps and down a hallway leading to the turret base. Zakei had finally managed to heal both of them thanks to Pikeru. They were done sitting around hurried to help Bann and the others.

"Rooko? Rooko-sensei?"

"Zakei? Tiamat and Morgen too. Good, you are alright. From what the others told me, I feared the worst." Rooko explained as he turned toward them and gave them a faint smile.

"Rooko-sensei, you're injured."

"I'll be alright. It is Bann who needs your help now."

"Teacher, do wish some assistance?"

"No, no. I have other things I must attend to at the moment. You three must help the others. They are already on their way to the top of the tower. Go ahead. I will meet with you all later. Oh, you will need this. Lady Janime instructed me to give it to Bann, but I wasn't able to."

Rooko reached into his pocket and pulled out a small crest. It was an embroidered blue shield with two swords, a green star, and the letter "B" sewn into it.

"B for Bann, remember that. I must go," Rooko told them as he put the crest into Zakei's hand, pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, turned and walked off.

Zakei watched Rooko for a second, then looked at the crest, and placed it into his pocket. He then walked into the stairway and headed up the stairs. Tiamat and Morgen followed.

'Almost there. Just a little farther. There! I can see the end of the stairway.'

"We are ready at your side, Lord Bann," Gearfried ran just behind him, his Iron armor not tiring him one bit.

Bann reached the top, pushed open the trap door, and…

Next time on City of Fire: Dark Beginnings


	17. Dark Beginnings

Chapter 17: Dark Beginnings

'Almost there. Just a little farther. There! I can see the end of the stairway.'

"We are ready at your side, Lord Bann," Gearfried ran just behind him, his Iron armor not tiring him one bit.

Bann reached the top, pushed open the trap door, and looked out onto the turret. A great blue demon stood at the top and looked down upon the town. He had great black transparent wings and seemed to stand infinitely high. Only the back of the great demon was visible to Bann. At his feet stood a man. His back was turned to Bann and his arms were crossed. He looked upon the city burning below and laughed.

"So, you have finally come to stop me. I knew those fools wouldn't keep you away for long," he said without turning to look at Bann. "Beautiful, just beautiful. So much destruction."

"Why did you do this?"

"For fun. Why else would I?"

"You kill for fun? It makes you laugh? You're race makes me sick."

At Bann's words, the N00b finally turned. He looked upon him with his deep red eyes. A wore a wicked smile. "My people are sickening? You are confused. You are the sickening race. You conform into society to make rules, to restrict freedoms. We are the master race. We are free to do what we want."

"Even if what you want to do is murder?"

"Death is inevitable. We just aid the process. You will soon see. Once I have finished you, you will beg for your death. I, the Demon N00b, Judis, challenge you to a duel for the fate of your home."

"Duel!" they both yelled.

"I'll start us off," Bann said. "I summon Blade Knight. Then I cast four spells. My knight's attack now increases. Then I activate Reinforcement of the Army. This allows me to immediately bring my Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight Cree to my mind. I end my turn."

"Is that all? My turn. I cast four traps and end my turn."

'No monsters? Bad beginning… or something far worse?' "I reveal Gather the Round Table. Now I Special Summon Charubin the Flame Knight and Dragoness the Wicked Knight. Now, I attack directly with all my monsters."

Charubin, Dragoness, and Blade Knight attacked.

"Did you forget my traps? Activate Mirror Force!"

"I wouldn't make a N00b mistake. Activate Ready for Intercepting!"

A shadow enveloped Blade Knight. However, Charubin and Dragoness were both destroyed.

"You managed to save one knight, but that isn't enough. My turn and I summon Hell Soldier."

A soldier in black armor rose from fire. He held a large sword in his right hand.

"Hell Soldier, attack!"

Hell Soldier struck Blade Knight, destroying him in one slash. Blade Knight exploded.

"I end my turn."

"My turn. I set two more traps and summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight."

A knight in dark blue armor, lined with red, and riding a dark violet horse rode onto the field. He held two deep red lances in his arms, which he lowered and aimed at Hell Soldier.

"Thanks to his special ability, I can summon Gaia from my mind without any tributes. Now, I attack your Hell Soldier with him."

Gaia's steed kicked its legs and charged. Gaia struck Hell Soldier with his right lance and Judis with his left. Hell Soldier's sword flew up into the air and struck Bann in the heart. Both men screamed in pain.

"Come on, guys. We gotta go help Bann and the others," Morgen lead the way up the stairs now.

Tiamat was close behind him but Zakei trailed a bit behind. He was too deep in thought to keep up with the others.

'B for Bann… what could this crest do?' He reached into his pocket and felt the crest. 'What could you be planning Lady Janime?'

"Just a little further, I think."

"I finally found you!" A boy in silver armor suddenly appeared. "I've been searching the castle for you guys. Please, help my master. He is badly injured."

"Dimensional Warrior?" Tiamat stared.

"Yeah, I've been looking all over the castle for you. I need your help. Jigen and Recks are badly injured."

"Injured? Oh no. Come on.

The Bashers ran up the stairs following Dimensional Warrior until all four stopped. Before them, Recks and Jigen were curled on the ground.

"What do you think happened here?"

"Same thing that happened to us. I'm sure that Dismay must have taken control of Jigen, just like he did to me," Tiamat answered

"You are probably right. Oh man, we don't have time to heal them. We have got to go."

"No… need to heal me…" Recks began to stir. "I just needed a bit of a rest."

His eyes slowly opened and he lifted his upper body off the ground. Then, with Morgen's help, he was able to stand.

"Who's the weirdo in the silver armor?" Recks asked.

"Recks, you can see him too? Then you must be able speak to your Cree as well."

"Yeah, he can!" said the cheery Cave Girl who appeared by Recks' side.

"Then, that's all of us."

"So… cough I'm not going crazy. That's good to know cough." Jigen got up as well. "I'm fine. I just need some help walking."

"I'll help you master." D.D. Warrior Lady appeared and walked over to Jigen and helped him up.

"Thanks…"

Jigen leaned on D.D. Warrior Lady and followed his friends.

"Well, now that we all know we are all insane, let's head to the roof."

All five Bashers headed up the stairs once more to help their friend in need.

"Well, that was interesting."

"I've never felt such pain. No one has ever been able to injure me in a duel of darkness like that. Your knights are not to be underestimated."

"Right…" Bann said as he bandaged the deep wound from Hell Soldier's sword.

"My turn. Call the Haunted back to the field, summoning by downed Hell Soldier. Then I activate my set Raging Hell Summon. This allows me to summon another Hell Soldier. Finally, I summon a final Hell Soldier to the field. Next, I activate Hell Alliance."

The Hell Soldier that had just been revived was surrounded by a dark aura. It sword was set ablaze as his attack skyrocketed.

"Now, let's try this again. Hell Soldier attack!"

Hell Soldier struck Gaia, shattering him. I burst of fire shot from Hell Soldier's sword and struck Bann.

"Then I will attack you directly with my other two Hell Soldiers!"

The remaining Hell Soldiers attacked with their swords.

"Activate Shield Wall."

Four Stone Knights appeared on the field, guarding Bann's life. The Hell Soldiers struck two, destroying them both.

"My turn." 'What do I do? With three monsters staring me down, I am in deep trouble. Hmm… This might help me.' "I summon Command Knight."

A crimson female knight appeared on the field. Feathers adorned her helmet and armor and she carried a long slender sword.

"Attack Hell Soldier."

Command Knight destroyed one of the weaker Hell Soldiers. His sword spun up into the air after being destroyed, aimed at Bann, and struck his heart. Once again, both men hit the ground in pain. The augmented Hell Soldier lost some of its power.

"I end my turn."

"Ha, my turn. I attack your Command Knight with my Hell Soldier. You have left yourself wide open."

Hell Soldier ran at Command Knight to strike it. However, one of the Stone Knights stood up and walked in front of her, like a human… er… stone shield. Hell Soldier slashed the Stone Knight and destroyed him. The second Hell Soldier destroyed the second Stone Knight.

'Damn, that was my last saving grace.' "My turn. Alright! I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

Gearfried appeared on the field. His attack increased thanks to Command Knight.

"Now, I attack your first Hell Soldier with Command Knight and the second with Gearfried!"

Command Knight struck the weaker Hell Soldier. Both Judis and Bann felt the damage. Then Gearfried struck the second with his shields, once again inflicting damage to both men.

"Damn you. You managed to destroy my Hell Soldiers."

"It's a gift."

"Bann!"

"Huh?"

"Great, the peanut gallery has arrived."

"Recks? Zakei, Jigen, Tiamat, and Morgen too? You all made it."

"Of course we would, pal. We stand by our friends."

"How sweet. A reunion of losers. Mu ha ha ha ha ha!"

"What's so funny, Judis?"

"It's my turn, and now that your friends are here, I can send you all to HELL!"

Next time on City of Fire: The First Hell


	18. The First Hell

Chapter 18: The First Hell

"What's so funny, Judis?"

"It's my turn, and now that your friends are here, I can send you all to HELL!"

"What does he mean?" asked Recks.

"Hmmm…" Jigen began to ponder. "It couldn't be. Not like the Sinwraith."

"You mean, Pandemonium?"

"Yes… and no. Pandemonium is a false hell, a lair of demons. An illusion, if you will."

"Exactly… fu fu fu… but I can assure you, my next play will be no illusion. I activate the Portal to Hell!"

Above them, a huge dark red hole ripped open in the sky above the tower.

Far away from the tower, a dark figure, dressed in black clothes and a red, cloaked cape, stood on a hill overlooking the town. He wore a large red headband above his eyes and most of his face was hidden. 'Well, the shadow wars have begun. What fun. As soon as I learn the secrets of the Cree, I shall join in these games, but for now, I will sit and watch. If this Judis thinks he can wield the powers of hell… he will be sadly mistaken.'

Wind got sucked into the hole. Everyone on the tower grabbed hold of something, but the rising air currents were too powerful and they all were absorbed. The hole slowly began to close behind them. Lightning struck the tower. Dark clouds rolled into the town once more. The streets danced in fire.

"Wake up, Bann, unless you consent to your loss. I understand if you know can't win. The fate of the world rests on this moment. If you lose, then the shadow wars begin and Erebus is revived."

"Fuck you and your Erebus you N00b piece of shit… cough"

Bann stood up, clasped his right arm around his chest, and looked around. The rest of the Bashers still laid still on the ground. Brimstone covered the area. It was hot, but very dry. It felt like fire was liquefied in the air. Bann could hardly breath the stale air.

"This…" he could barely finish, short of breath and utterly shocked. "This is no illusion. Your portal…"

"…brought us to the real place? Of course it did. What better way to kill you then in your eternal prison. Welcome to Avernus."

"You're really sick."

"Thank you. I try my best. For my next move, I activate Premature Burial to revive my Hell Soldier. Then I activate Earthquake."

Hell Soldier came back again. Soon after, the rock below them shook, switching every monster to defense position and waking up Bann's friends.

"Now, I offer my Hell Soldier as a Tribute to summon Hell General Mefist. To finish my turn, I will attack your Gearfried."

Mefist struck Gearfried with his spear, sending it through Gearfried and hitting the end into Bann's shoulder.

"Feel the pain? Good. I set a spell and end my turn."

A slight glow seemed to radiate over Judis, but vanished as quickly as it appeared. The glow seemed to cause Judis to stagger, but only for a mere second.

'Strange…' "My turn. I summon Gold Knight and Dark Blade. Then I attack Mefist with Gold Knight."

"Activate Hell Blast!"

Mefist exploded in fiery blast and took Command Knight with him. Damage was then inflicted to both duelists.

"I can still attack with Dark Blade."

Dark Blade started his assault.

"No, you cannot. I activate Lava Wall."

A wall of magma burst up from the ground, stopping Dark Blade's attack.

"My turn again? Good. I activate the River Styx."

A dark river of blood and water flowed between Bann and Judis.

"The river of death protects me. You will soon see. Also, thanks to Avernus, I can bring Hell Cree to my mind. And now, I will summon the first dark lord."

"First?"

"Arise Bel!"

A beastly warrior composed of infinite blackness rose from the ground. Blood covered his demonic body.

"As long as he is my only monster, Bel's attack increases. Bel, attack Gold Knight!"

"Activate Knight's Shield."

Gold Knight shielded itself from Bel's attack. Bel hopped back across the river, baring his claws and teeth. Blood continued to drip from his body, as if from nowhere.

"My turn. I activate Shien's Spy. This allows me to transfer my Dark Blade to your side of the field. Too bad your Lord Bel loses attack now."

Judis watched in shock as Bel shrunk in and withered.

"Then I attack Bel with my Gold Knight."

Gold Knight lifted his light blade and struck down the devil lord.

"ARRGGHH!" Judis screamed at the painful wound he suffered from Bel's destruction. He fell to his knees and laughed. "You will pay for that. You only destroyed the Lord of the First."

The land around them began to change. An iron city rose from the depths. The dark red skies were painted black with clouds. Dark Blade jumped back onto Bann's side of the field.

"Welcome to Dis, the last city you will ever see. Now I summon Hell Wraith."

A ghastly figure, engulfed in flames, collected itself on the field. A skull-like image appeared where a head would be. It cackled at Bann.

"What the hell is going on here? Why did this place just change?" Morgen asked.

"We have entered the second layer of hell," Jigen explained. "This is Dis, the Iron City."

"You are correct, and just like Avernus, Dis has its own ruler. Now, Hell Wraith, attack Gold Knight."

Hell Wraith struck, but its attack seemed to parallel Gold Knights. Both monsters were destroyed.

"Now I can activate Hell Calling. I have to pay with my blood to summon the Lord of the Second, but thanks to the River Styx, I can take my life payment out of there. Arise Archduke Dispater."

A tall man and small horns rose from the ground. His dark black hair blew in the heated winds. In his right hand, he held a long rod-like staff. He wore resplendent garbs and a look of sorrow on his face. Behind him, a tall Iron Tower rose from the ground. Dispater jumped onto the tower as it rose and stood within it. Judis stood beside it laughing.

"You will never get past the tower of Dispater. Within his tower, he is invincible!"

Next time on City of Fire: Tower, Bog, and Flame


	19. Tower, Bog, and Flame

Chapter 19: Tower, Bog, and Flame

"Arise Archduke Dispater."

A tall man and small horns rose from the ground. His dark black hair blew in the heated winds. In his right hand, he held a long rod-like staff. He wore resplendent garbs and a look of sorrow on his face. Behind him, a tall Iron Tower rose from the ground. Dispater jumped onto the tower as it rose and stood within it. Judis stood beside it laughing.

"You will never get past the tower of Dispater. Within his tower, he is invincible!"

Dispater looked down from a balcony on his tower. His solemn red eyes and sadistic frown hid his undeniable malice.

'Dispater… although weak in physical power, he has unmatched defensive strength, protecting him from the outside world. Be careful Bann, you might not know what you are getting yourself into.'

"Also, thanks to the power of Dis, Dispater gains more attack, making him stronger than your Dark Blade. Dispater, attack!"

Dispater rose his staff into the air. Lightning shot down from the clouds and struck Dark Blade, incinerating him.

'Great, now I'm defenseless again.' "I activate Bronze Knights. I can now rid myself of three Cree to summon three Bronze Knights." 'Well, at least I have three more Knights.' "I set one spell and end my turn."

"My turn. I attack your Bronze Knight."

"I activate Covering Fire and Martyr Shield."

Once Bronze Knight vanished into dust. The copper dust showered onto the swords of the other two, which both shone in a golden light. Dispater struck Bronze Knight with his elongated staff. Then, the third knight stuck his sword in. However, neither knight was strong enough to stop Dispater, and finally, the second knight was destroyed, leaving only the final Bronze Knight.

"I switch my Bronze Knight to Defense Position. End turn."

"Dispater, attack!"

Dispater struck Bronze Knight with another flash of lightning, turning him to dust.

"Come on, Bann. I thought you were good. Pathetic is more like it."

"You can do it Bann! You're the man!" his friends yelled.

'Thanks guys… but I can't break past that tower. What do I do?'

"Believe in yourself."

'Queen's Knight? I should have known I would get you sooner or later.'

"I have a plan to destroy Dispater, but you must summon me, King, and Jack's Knights."

'I understand.' "I summon Queen's Knight."

Queen's Knight appeared on the field.

"Then I activate Wrought Iron Arc. This allows me to Special Summon my King's Knight."

The knight in gold armor appeared next to Queen's Knight.

"And now, I can Special Summon Jack's Knight."

The last of the knight trio appeared on the field. He wore blue armor, similar to the gold and red armors of King and Queen's Knight.

"So? Am I supposed to be threatened? You may have managed to summon another Knight Trio, but they are still no match for Dispater."

"You're wrong. My knights can attack as one. I activate Union Attack."

All three knights put their swords together and struck the Tower of Dis in one unified blow. The base began to crumble and the tower cracked and fell. Dispater fell from the tower, but shattered before hitting the ground.

"Im… impossible! You defeated Archduke Dispater?"

"That's two Lords down."

"And many more to go. It is time to bring you into the third hell, the quagmire of Minauros"

The world around them changed again. The ground became soft and muddy. The Iron City melted and sank into the marshy ground. Evil swamp plants rose from the depths.

'Another layer of Hell. How far deep does this place go?' "Finish your turn already."

"Fine, then I cast a spell and summon Mammon the Viscount."

The ground beneath them shook. Something was in the water, churning the swamp.

"What the hell is that?"

"Hell is right. The ruler of the third hell, that is. Arise Mammon!"

Water shot up from the swamp lake, and from the rippling wave pool, an enormous serpent rose up. At the top of its body, it was humanoid, but the rest of it was snake-like. Mammon was so enormous that he bent its body over to the dueling area and most of him was still submerged in the sea. In his right arm, Mammon held a devilish spear.

'Good, his attack is equal to King's Knight's, which means that if I strike him with my King's Knight, I will destroy both of them.' "My turn. Too bad your Mammon is equal in strength to my King's Knight. King's Knight, attack and wipe out the third archdevil!"

King's Knight lifted his sword and attacked. He ran at Mammon. Mammon countered with his spear. The too were equal until the mud underneath King's Knight began to make him slip. Mammon took the advantage and destroyed King's Knight.

"What! Both were equal. Mammon couldn't have destroyed Bann's knight," Tiamat was stunned by the loss of King's Knight, along with the rest of the Bashers.

"It's this plain, isn't it? What does your newest Hell do, Judis?" Zakei demanded.

"So glad you asked. Look at the feet of the knights."

Queen's Knight and Jack's Knight were sinking into the mud.

"Only creatures of Hell can survive in the lower depths. Your knights will be no match for my demon armies."

"Forget you. I will find a way to defeat your Mammon."

'I really doubt that. I have let you come this far. I know what you are planning, Bann. Just open your mind to me and let my Mind Haxxorz spell continue its effect. HA HA HA HA HA!'

'Fusion. It's the only thing I can do. If I can fuse my three knights, then I might stand a chance.' "I activate the Warrior Returning Alive. This brings King's Knight back to my mind. Then, I activate Polymerization to fuse King's Knight, Queen's Knight, and Jack's Knight into the ultimate knight, Joker's Knight."

The three knights vanished in a flash, leaving a purple clad knight where they stood.

"I knew you would do that! Activate Hell Polymer!"

Mammon dispersed into a dark aura and wrapped himself around Joker's Knight, fusing himself with the knight. Joker's Knight grew a serpent tail, thirty feet in length. He picked up Mammon's spear and slithered into the swamp lake behind Judis. His eyes glowed red and a serpent tongue slid out of his mouth.

"MU HA HA HA HA! Mammon has taken control of your Joker's Knight! Your most powerful monster has been fused with my serpent lord to form the most perfect devil."

'Joker… what have I done?' Bann stared down at the ground. A look of defeat was upon his face and the glimmer of hope in his eyes had faded.

"Bann!" Recks and Zakei yelled.

"Oh no," Jigen and Tiamat murmered.

Morgen stood there, unable to say a word. His mouth was wide open and he was in complete shock.

"This is the ultimate power of the Lord of the Third, and I thank you, Bann, for helping Mammon take on this form."

"I set a spell and end my turn…"

"Pathetic. I attack with Joker's Knight Mammon."

Mammon lifted his spear with his left hand and threw it at the Bann.

"Activate Soul Ressurection. This brings Queen's Knight back to the field to defend me."

"Too bad, she is no match for Mammon. Strike her down!"

Mammon pulled out his sword and cut Queen's Knight in half. Bann turned away at the sight of her death. Tears ran down his face.

"Bann, don't give… up…"

"No…"

"What was that? What did you just say?"

"No… I will never give up… I… I…"

"Bann…"

"Brother…"

"BEAT HIM!"

"I ACTIVATE KNIGHT REBIRTH!"

Gearfried the Iron Knight reappeared on the field.

"Now, Gearfried, I release you. Release Restraints!"

Gearfried burst out of his armor once again.

"Then, I activate Excelsior."

A sword appeared in stone before Gearfried. Gearfried lifted the sword out of the stone and swung it at Joker's Knight Mammon.

"You won't destroy him that easily. Along with his brute force, Mammon gained the abilities of Joker's body. I send the power of Hell Blade to Joker's Knight Mammon."

The dark aura surrounding Joker's body concentrated into his blade and turned deep red. He struck like a snake at Gearfried. Their blades clashed and sparks flew. Joker stopped Gearfried's special attack and threw him into a tree.

"Uhhhh…"

"Gearfried!" Bann rushed over to his fallen friend. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Lord Bann."

"Good, because its time to take this up a notch." Bann turned toward Judis and stared at him with a look of rage. "This is far from over. Gearfried's special attack may have failed, but he can still perform a normal attack. Gearfried, Omnislash!"

Gearfried got up, grabbed Excelsior with both hands.

"Ahhhhh!" Gearfried yelled as he jumped into the air.

'What is this guy doing?' "Mammon, counter attack."

Mammon struck back. Once again, Gearfried and Joker Mammon's swords clashed.

"…" Gearfried forced Mammon back with all his might.

"Go Gearfried!"

Gearfried back-flipped, jumped at Mammon again, and sliced him in half.

"WHAT! HOW!"

"You stopped Gearfried's Saber Obliteration, but his Omnislash, combined with Excelsior, increased his normal attack to beyond even Joker's Knight Mammon's power."

"Yeah! Woo hoo! That's what I'm talking about Bann!" his friends cheered on.

"Impossible…" Judis stared, unable to believe that his third lord had been defeated.

"Bring on the next one. Gearfried and I will destroy him too."

"But… can you take on two at once? I start this turn by entering the fourth hell, the land of fire, Phleghethos!"

Lava exploded from the ground. The trees burned and the swamp sank beneath pools of magma that hardened into the blackest obsidian. Erupting volcanoes rose from the hardening ground below them. Ash and soot filled the air, making it near impossible to breathe. The only trace of water left in the land was the drying up River Styx.

"I set a card and activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy it. My Statue of the Wicked leaves behind a Wicked Token, which I can then tribute to summon my Lords of the Fourth, Archduke Belial and his daughter Lady Fierna. Set one spell, and end turn."

Lady Fierna, a beautiful, but quite deadly devil, carried a sword made of pure fire, while her father held a long pike. They both rode in on hellish horses, black with red-eyes and covered in fire.

"I won't stand down." 'Damn, now Gearfried's attack decreases. His attack is equal to Belial's. But, if I destroy Fierna, I can decrease Belial's attack.' "Alright, it's decided. Gearfried, attack Fierna."

"Right," Gearfried responded as he picked up his sword again and leapt into action.

"No, I activate my trap. Hell Barrier. It increases the defense of my monster."

A ring of fire encircled Fierna and enclosed her.

"Oh crap."

Gearfried struck the barrier, but couldn't break it. The force of the barrier pushed him backwards. Gearfried hit the ground, but the damage wasn't severe.

"Shit. His lords keep getting more powerful. Gearfried, you okay?"

"Never better."

"Set trap. End turn."

"Good. My turn. I summon my Hell Baatezu. He allows me to summon my Hell-Born Angel. I end my turn. Now, I reveal the power of my newest layer of hell!"

Hell Baatezu and Hell-Born angel began to glow red. Their auras flew into the air and struck Bann, throwing him onto the ground.

"AHHH!"

"Do you like the pain? Because I sure do." Judis licked his lips and laughed again.

"Damn… damn you. My turn." 'This might be my chance to take down Belial. No, he wouldn't leave his own Cree unprotected, would he? Maybe I should attack Fierna again?' "Gearfried."

"Understood." Gearfried attacked Fierna, but was thrown back again!

"What?"

"You idiot. My Hell Barrier remains in effect. It constantly protects Fierna from your attacks. So sad. You could have destroyed Belial."

'Ah! No way!'

"And now, it's my turn. I use the power of my Hell-Born Angel to increase my life. Then I sacrifice my Hell Baatezu to summon Hell Knight. Then, I sacrifice my Hell-Born Angel to increase Hell Knight's attack. Belial, attack!"

'Gearfried… I… I won't fail you.'

"I know you won't. I believe in you. They believe in you."

"Activate… cough… Shining Armor!"

Silver armor covered Gearfried's body. Belial charged on horseback, his spear aimed at Gearfried, who stopped it with his hands. Gearfried then picked up Excelsior and cut Belial's head off.

"Wha… uh… huh?"

"The Shining Armor negates all of your card effects that affect Gearfried. Thus, his attack was no longer lowered by the powers of hell."

"No… Belial. You will pay. I end my turn. The fires of Phleghethos now inflict more damage to your life."

'I'm running low pal. I don't know how much farther into hell we can go.' "Gearfried, attack Fierna."

Gearfried destroyed the second ruler of Phleghethos.

"Thanks to the second effect of my Shining Armor, Gearfried can attack twice if there is another monster on your side of the field."

Gearfried then struck down Hell Knight.

"Don't think just because you have destroyed another two of my lords, that you have won. This duel isn't over yet."

"You're right, Judis. It's only just begun."

Next time on City of Fire: The Tomb


	20. The Tomb

Chapter 20: The Tomb

"Thanks to the second effect of my Shining Armor, Gearfried can attack twice if there is another monster on your side of the field."

Gearfried then struck down Hell Knight.

"Don't think just because you have destroyed another two of my lords, that you have won. This duel isn't over yet."

"You're right, Judis. It's only just begun."

"My turn. I send us to the fifth layer of hell."

The fires were doused with a rush of water. The vast sea sank the entire field. The land lay in a deep blue. Icy platforms rose from beneath Judis and Bann, keeping them aloft. The wind chill froze their soaked clothes. Far off, the Bashers stood in a harbor, watching the frozen bay.

"Welcome to Stygia, the Fifth Layer of Hell. A frozen sea fed by the River Styx covers the land."

shiver was Bann's only reply. He shook rapidly from the icy cold.

"Now, I cast a spell, summon a shadow monster, and end my turn."

A shadowy figure appeared on Judis' side of the field.

"Gearfried, attack!"

Gearfried struck the shadow, revealing it as Hell Guardna, who lifted his shield of fire and stopped Gearfried's attack.

"Gearfried, attack again!"

Gearfried struck Hell Guardna again, destroying it, but Judis chained with another Hell Calling, summoning Hell Mount.

"My turn, I sacrifice my Hell Mount to summon Hell Construct."

An enormous and fiendish machine rose from the water behind Judis. It looked like a large factory, pumping out smoke fire.

"Next, I activate Hell Storm, destroying Excelsior and inflicting damage to your life."

A violent storm rose up from the water, blowing wind and fire over the field that shattered the blade.

"My turn ends."

"I cast one spell and end my turn." 'I can't even get past

"Then, I activate Monster Reincarnation. This spell returns Hell Baatezu to my mind. Then I summon him and Hell Battalion. And to finish, I activate Levistus' Tomb."

The water displaced again to reveal a large iceberg that now floated between both men. The ice was so large and dense that it was impossible to see inside of it, but Bann had a bad feeling that he knew what was in there.

"Before I end my turn, I will activate the power of my Construct to send Hell Baatezu to the grave."

The devil was absorbed into the large factory and vanished.

'What's he planning now? I have to stop him.' "I attack Levistus' Tomb."

Gearfried attacked the tomb with his sword, but the Hell Battalion stood in his way.

"Staunch Defender!"

Gearfried fought the Battalion. He killed several with his sword, but many more snuck behind him and slashed his back. His armor broke, but he kept fighting. Gearfried fought a losing battle, but never gave up. He managed to defeat them, but not without sustaining heavy damages. Blood spurted from his lips, his eyes went white, and he collapsed on the ice, slid into the water and drowned.

"Gear… GEARFRIED!"

Bann fell to his knees, landed on his hands, and stared at the cold, hard, ice beneath him. He banged his fist on the ice and tear dripped from his eyes.

"Too bad for the weak at heart. Finish your turn so I can destroy you."

Bann looked up, stared into the cold eyes of Judis and swore under his cold breath. He clenched his fist and stood up again, never taking his eyes off his opponent. His eyes were heated red.

"You will pay, Judis," Bann said in a hoarse voice. "You will pay dearly. I summon Guardian Knight. He is automatically placed in defense position. I end my turn."

"You lose, Bann. This plain has been slowly cutting your life each turn. As soon as I end my turn, what little life you have left will be gone. I end my turn."

The darkness crept down from the sky to strike Bann. He tried to get out of the way, but there was nowhere to run. Then, Guardian Knight got up and shielded Bann from all damage.

"No, thanks to my Guardian Knight, I won't take any damage outside of the battle."

"What!"

"Sorry, this duel isn't over. My turn. I activate Mystik Wok and sacrifice my Guardian Knight to help me again, healing me. Then, I activate Monster Reborn, Special Summoning Joker's Knight."

Joker's Knight returned to the field. His purple armor reflected the light that reflected off the cold water.

"Mammon has no control over him anymore. Joker's Knight, attack!"

Joker's Knight struck Hell Construct and blew it apart. The shrapnel shards flew all over the field. Some hit Bann. He screamed in pain and almost flew off the ice platform.

"Master Bann." Joker's Knight knelt by his side. "I am sorry, Lord Bann."

"I'm fine. Come on, let's take this guy down."

"Fat chance. I activate Hell Freeze."

"Brace yourselves," Tiamat warned the others.

"Wait, nothing happened," Bann looked at the field, utterly confused.

"Not yet. Watch," Judis said, looking contently at Levistus' Tomb."

Bann turned his eyes to the tomb and now understood what was happening. The ice was spreading, freezing the rest of the water. It was actually absorbing the heat of the rest of Stygia. The iceberg melted, but whatever was causing it to absorb heat was unable to completely break the tomb.

Bann and the others continued to stare as the entire sea froze solid. Inside the crystal coffin, they could now make out a humanoid figure with glowing red eyes. He was still frozen deep within the tomb, but Bann now knew why it was called Levistus' Tomb. He was staring down the Lord of the Fifth.

"Meet Prince Levistus! And to end my turn, I activate Hell Control. At the moment, this does nothing, but soon, you will understand."

"Right… My turn. And I attack Prince Levistus!"

Joker's Knight struck the ice… but couldn't even dent it!

"What?"

"Levistus is a psychic. I unlocked his psychic powers, allowing him to put a barrier around the ice. Also… I can now use Psychic Counterstrike."

A barrier of red psychic energy became visible around the frozen tomb. It formed into a sharp, spear-like projection and aimed at Joker's Knight.

"No…"

Levistus' Spear struck down at Joker's Knight, who jumped out of the way, but the spear struck again, each time trying to hit Joker. Finally, it came down on Joker, who had nowhere to run.

"Joker, use the power of Spiral Spear Strike."

Joker's Knight lifted his shield to defend himself. The spear hit the shield and stopped. Then it shattered and vanished. Joker's Knight stood on the field and sheathed his sword.

"Forgot Joker's effect already? I negated the effect of your Hell Control."

"No bother. On your next turn, you will just have to attack Levistus again."

Bann glared at Judis and ended his turn. "I summon Holy Knight. Go."

Holy Knight lifted his sword. The skies opened and light shined onto Bann. Then he lowered his sword again and the skies closed. Bann's life increased due to his special effect.

"I use Block Attack to switch your Holy Knight to defense position. Now, Levistus, attack with Hell PsySpear."

Levistus' psychic energies once again took the form of a red pointed whip and struck Holy Knight, destroying him.

"As you can see, Levistus has infinite power. However, the ice limits his true strength."

"Then, I'll just have to obliterate him. My turn. Ah! I think I just found out how to destroy Levistus."

"No, you can't have."

"Oh, yes I have. I call fourth Phoenix Blade."

The fire that ignited Bann's soul flew out of him and formed the wings of a phoenix. It then struck the ground and spun in an inferno, forging a sword in the ice. Joker's Knight picked up the Divine Sword and lifted it into the sky.

"Joker's Knight, attack with Divine Phoenix Storm."

Joker's Knight lifted the Phoenix Blade and spun it in his hand, forming a fiery twister. Then he slashed downward with the blade, releasing the twister on Levistus. The fire spun around the tomb, melting it away. Levistus was trapped within the intense heat, where he was incinerated.

"I believe that was number six."

Judis was unable to say a thing. He just stared at Bann. His eyes burned with hatred.

"Levistus just got owned."

"Hell yeah."

"Six… six… six of the Lords. Six of them dead. This sixth hell awaits… Malborge!"

A large mountain rose from the depths. The vast seas were gone, replaced by jagged rock and barren land.

"I am forced to activate Devil's Sanctuary, which summons my Metal Devil, which I can then sacrifice to summon the Lord of the Sixth, the Hag Countess."

The small metallic oddly shaped creature appeared on the field for a split second and vanished. Then another… wait… nothing happened. Can someone call wardrobe?

"I think your monster skipped out on you."

"The Hag Countess is a master of shadow and disguise. You do not see her… because she is hidden."

"Right, my turn, and without any protection…"

"Wait, I haven't finished the very last part of my move. Hag Countess, strike!"

Shadows wrapped around Joker's Knight and he vanished!

"Oh, and one last thing. The Hag Countess is unaffected by all of your spells and traps. Plus, without any monsters to protect you at the end of your turns, you are in deep trouble."

'Damn, what do I do? Gearfried, Joker's Knight, Gaia, they're all gone. Damn it!' "I activate Ride of the Paladins. This card allows me to Special Summon Noble Knight Horseman and Gaia the Fierce Knight. Then I send Noble Knight Horseman on a Glory Quest."

Noble Knight Horseman galloped off.

"That leaves Gaia, who I protect with these traps, and end my turn."

"My turn. Now, I use the powers of Malborge again."

"Not so fast. I activate Knight Seal. This negates the effects of Malborge for the remainder of the game."

"I can still attack you with the Hag Countess."

Judis' shadow rose up from the ground, took the shape of a woman, and struck with dark claws. Bann countered with Knight Shield again, protecting Gaia from harm.

"You're just delaying the inevitable."

"You mean your death? Yeah, I am. My turn. I switch Gaia to defense position and set a shadow monster. Then I end my turn."

"I attack Gaia again. This time, you have no protection."

The Hag Countess appeared again from the shadows and dragged Gaia back down with her.

"Set another Cree. End turn."

"I summon Hell Blade. Now attack the two shadow monsters."

Both of Bann's monsters were destroyed. He was defenseless.

"I Special Summon Noble Knight Horseman, who returns from his Glory Quest stronger than before. Now, Noble Knight Horseman, attack Hell Blade. Sword Flash Thrust!"

Noble Knight Horseman rode at full speed toward Hell Blade, decapitating the demon with the sword-arm. He then trotted back to Bann's side.

"I cast three spells and end my turn."

"My turn. Hag Countess, destroy him!"

"Reveal trap, Soul Leveler and activate Mystical Space Typhoon!"

Noble Knight Horseman's level increased. Then Mystical Space Typhoon wrapped around him. A new Knight took Noble Knight's place. He wore white armor with a large pointed helm. Blue gems decorated his heavenly armor and a large white sword was in his right hand.

"Meet Saint Knight Isaac!"

"Whoa, that guy looks awesome!" Zakei exclaimed.

"Yes… but looks aren't everything. Does it have the power to take down the Hag Countess?" Jigen wondered.

"No… no, he doesn't," Bann told them. "He doesn't stand a chance."

"Thank you for telling me that. Hag Countess, attack!"

"Activate Negate Attack. Unlike you, I had a backup plan. Now, It's time to take your Hag down. I activate equip Isaac with Holy Sword. Then, I attack the Hag Countess!" 'Their attacks are now equal, but the Holy Sword will protect Isaac from the attack.'

Isaac struck the ground with the Holy Sword. The shadows were sucked into blade like a vacuum. Then Isaac lifted the Holy Sword and swung it, releasing the Hag Countess and then swung it again. Her dark body vaporized in the light.

Judis didn't hesitate at the destruction of his Lord this time. In fact, he seemed changed. Something unexplainably different was in his eyes, like a demon that was trying to break out. "I activate Shadow Remains and sacrifice them to summon Triel, the Fallen Angel."

An angel with white wings and ropes fell onto the field. It cackled as it got up and spread its wings, which turned black. His blue eyes became red and fangs protruded from his mouth, soaked in blood. His clothes also turned black and were also soaked in blood. He lifted a jagged knife in his left hand an laughed again.

"Welcome… to the seventh hell."

Next time on City of Fire: Dark Perfection


	21. Dark Perfection

Chapter 21: Dark Perfection

"I summon Triel, the Fallen Angel."

An angel with white wings and ropes fell onto the field. It cackled as it got up and spread its wings, which turned black. His blue eyes became red and fangs protruded from his mouth, soaked in blood. His clothes also turned black and were also soaked in blood. He lifted a jagged knife in his left hand and laughed again.

"Welcome… to the seventh hell."

The mountains were leveled down to a long, endless, and bare plain. The only thing that could be seen for miles was a city, the City of Malagard. The blood-black sky stormed above them in malice. The realm hated itself and all that dwelled within.

"Welcome to Maladomini, the Seventh Layer of Hell."

"Nice… very nice. You done yet?"

"Not quite."

Triel began to morph again. What remained of his angelic body melted, leaving a deformed demonic shell. He no longer resembled the beautifully winged and handsome man that had fallen from the sky. Eyes, completely black, scowled above a lipless mouth. His skin was melted and his body slug-like. Demon bat wings replaced the feathered angel wings on his back.

"Triel has now become the Lord of the Seventh, Archduke Baalzebul."

The bashers turned away at the awful sight. Baalzebul was truly a creature of deep disgust.

"Baalzebul, attack Saint Knight Isaac."

"You idiot, Baalzelbul's attack is less than Isaac's."

"Exactly."

Flies swarmed around Isaac. Isaac countered with his sword, but he could not hit them. The flies leached onto his body and absorbed every last drop of moisture in him, leaving only a dried up corpse.

"I wanted to show you the power of Baalzebul, the Lord of the Flies. He, who was once an angel, who broke free from the light, and who now crushes all who are as he once was."

"He destroys the light…"

"He is the light… the purest light, untainted, driving out all other light," Judis responded. His eyes had lost all luster as he stared blankly out into the distance. Something was definitely different about him now. Something eerie had crept over him, controlling his every move, something that wanted to get out.

"My turn. Let's see how Baalebul fares against the darkness. I activate Fusion Recovery. This returns Jack's Knight and Polymerization to my mind. Then I activate Polymerization to fuse Jack's Knight and Ace's Knight to summon Blackjack's Knight."

A knight in black armor with white spades on his shoulders appeared on the field. He lifted a large, heavy sword.

"That? That is going to stop me?"

"Yes he is. I activate Damage Blocker."

A small stone warrior appeared on the field in front of Bann."

"This guy is going to protect me. During this turn, he takes all damage I would receive. Now, Blackjack's Knight, attack Baalzebul."

Baalzebul sent his flies to attack Blackjack's Knight. Blackjack lifted his sword and swung at the flies, unleashing a huge burst of white energy that obliterated the flies, ricocheted off of Baalzebul's body at double its power, and aimed right toward Bann.

"You idiot! You should have known your knight was too weak!"

"Look again Judis. My Stone Knight is taking all the damage from the attack, but Baalzebul is still defeated."

Judis looked at Baalzebul's vanishing body as it melted into nothingness and dripped onto the rocky ground. The flies flew over the puddle of remains and drank their master's body. The Stone Knight broke apart from the attack, but Bann was unscathed. Blackjack stood by his side facing Judis.

"…"

"Shocking isn't it? I have defeated each one of the Lords of Hell with ease."

"One…"

"What?"

"One more…"

"What's this guy talking about? He sounds like he's snapped?" Morgen asked.

"There are nine hells of Baator. There are only two more left, though I don't know why he would say 'one'," Jigen replied.

"Yeah, well, he is a shiver N00b…" Recks added.

"Is shiver it just me shiver or is it getting cold out here?" Zakei told the others.

"It… isn't just you…" Judis replied, his eyes closed and his body stiff.

The ground at Judis feet started to turn to ice. The ice spread outward and covered the field. They now stood on an endless frozen tundra. The air was still and unmoving. The low temperature chilled to the bone.

"Where… shiver… are we… shiver… now?"

"Cania, the Eight Layer of Hell, on the frozen wastes of Nargus. I end my turn."

"WHAT!"

"Bann, this is your chance. He didn't make a move. You can defeat him!"

'They're right. He has no traps set and no monsters to protect him. Time to lose, Judis.' "Blackjack's Knight, attack him direct… Blackjack?" Bann turned toward his knight. Horror overcame his face. Blackjack was a frozen statue encased in ice. "What have you done to him?"

"Only creatures of hell can survive in the frozen depths of Cania. All others are encased in a block of ice, much like our dear friend Prince Levistus."

The image of the Devil Prince appeared in Bann's mind. If Levistus was encased in ice from Cania and couldn't get out, then his knights didn't have a chance.

"I cast one spell and end my turn." 'Damn, this ice doesn't even let me switch his battle position. Blackjack is a sitting duck now.'

"And now, I activate Generals of Molikroth. This revives Archduke Dispater and Archduke Belial."

The familiar tall man and rose from the ice carrying a long rod-like staff. Then, another man in fine black armor, holding a spear and riding a black stallion with red, fiery eyes, rose from the ice beside him.

"The Archdukes…"

"Now, I sacrifice Archduke Belial to summon the Lord of the Eighth!"

Belial vanished in a ring of fire. Where he stood, the earth opened up and a nine-foot devil rose. He had red skin, large horns, and two gigantic wings on his back. In his hand, he held a ranseur similar to the one Belial held. On its spike, an everlasting flame glowed brightly. He wore the blackest robes, absorbing all light around them. He stepped through the flames and laughed.

Judis watched him nervously. His face looked completely horrified. "This… this is… the Lord of the Eighth… Mephistopheles…" he stuttered.

'What the hell? What is he afraid of?'

"Mephistopheles, attack."

Mephistopheles lifted his spear and hit the ground with the pointed end. The ice beneath broke open and headed toward the entombed Blackjack's Knight. The fissure, swallowed the knight up and closed. Then, fire shot out of the ground around Bann, burning his life down. Bann screamed from the intense heat and cold flash.

"I… I end my turn…"

Next time on City of Fire: Nessus


	22. Nessus

Chapter 22: Nessus

'Great, I'm defenseless again. I have Mephistopheles staring me down with nothing on the field to protect myself. And even if I could protect myself, I can't attack. Damn it. I don't have enough life to protect myself. Next turn, he can attack with Dispater. What the hell am I supposed to do?'

"Lose…"

"What was that?"

"You are supposed to lose Bann…"

"You… you can…"

"Read your thoughts? At times…"

"That's how you knew I would summon Joker's Knight. Every perfect counter."

"Dark perfection… the will of Baalzebul, but he can't help me anymore," Judis laughed again and fell to his knees.

'So… he… he knew this whole time.' "But I must have been doing something right if I've beaten so many Lords."

"He wanted you to destroy them so he could come back, bathed in their blood. He didn't let me know all your secrets. Just those that would deal you the most harm."

"Who is 'he'?"

"I can't tell you that, but you will learn. I understand now, master. I will help you, but you must… NO, anything but that!"

'He's crazy. I better just start my move.' "I use a Alter of Resurrection to return one card I used to my mind. I then have to destroy two creatures in my Creepool. I then activate Gather the Round Table once again to summon Dark Flare Knight."

Dark Flare Knight appeared on the field in his black and red armor. He lifted his shield and stared at the two lords. Then his body froze in the cold and he too became encased in a block of ice.

"I end my turn."

"You… think that will… save you? Mephistopheles, destroy him now."

Mephistopheles released another earthquake which destroyed Dark Flare Knight.

"Now, attack directly, Dispater…"

Dispater attacked, but was blocked by a shining new knight.

"What?"

"Meet my Mirage Knight, you son of a bitch! Strike him down!"

Mirage Knight lifted his scythe and struck Dispater.

"This is it!"

Mirage Knight vanished as Dispater exploded.

"What? You should have lost."

"Dispater… he takes no damage when he is destroyed…"

'Shit! That was my last idea. What the heck am I going to do now?'

"Time to lose, Bann."

"Not yet. I will never give up. Never! My turn. I activate Reflect Kingdom."

A large mirrored castle rose behind Bann.

"By sacrificing Curse of Dragon and Dark Knight Soul, I can summon Mirror Knights Calling."

The castle shattered, revealing a large blue crystalline object, floating behind Bann.

"What will that do? It has no attack or defense!"

"I'll show you what it does. Now, I call fourth three Mirror Knights."

The crystal shined in a deep blue light that bathed the area. In a flash of white, three knights rode down from the heavens.

"Meet my Mirror Knights. Each one has infinite attack strength, more that enough to beat Mephistopheles."

The Mirror Knights lifted their swords and mirror shields. They were each covered in brilliant, silver armor from head to toe. Their swords also were a stainless silver and their shields reflected whatever they were cast upon. The ice then froze each of them.

"I cast one spell and end my turn."

"I see I have no way of destroying your knights, but as long as I don't attack, I am safe. I end my turn. I will soon find a way to destroy them."

"I doubt that because it is you who is about to be destroyed. I reveal my trap, Return to Nature. I never thought this would come in handy, but I guess I will tell you what it does. For one turn, your field is negated, so my knights can attack."

The entire field went black. They were standing on the tower of the castle again.

"We're back."

"Only temporarily. Brace yourselves. Once this turn is over, right back to hell we go."

"Ah… so they have returned to this plane. Bann hasn't won yet, I see. Mephistopheles, you old fool. You are controlling this N00b. Well, I assure you, this will be the last time you see the surface. Prepare to be sent back to hell."

"Mirror Knight, attack Mephistopheles!"

The Mirror Knight lifted his shield. Reflected in its mirror lay the image of Mephistopheles. The Mirror Knight jumped into the air and struck the devil king, cutting him clear in half.

"Since you take no damage from my knights' attacks, I end my turn."

The world changed again, bringing them back to the frozen lands of Cania.

"I… I am free. Oh thank heavens. I am finally free!"

'You will never be free, boy. Mephistopheles was a fool. Now that he is dead, I can rise to claim my ultimate victory.'

"No… no, the deal."

'I am altering our deal, boy.'

Bann placed his left hand to his head. He could hear a voice echoing to his brain, speaking to Judis. Was this the great evil he had been talking too? What was going on?

"I… no… I mean… yes master. I activate the Reckoning Failed. This Special Summons three Hell Soldiers to the field from the grave.

"I cast two spells and end my turn."

"Then… I bring you to Nessus."

The ground beneath them shook. The ice broke apart. They fell down into a pit of endless darkness.

"Now, I activate the power of Nessus."

The Mirror Knights and Mirror Knight's Calling all shattered. Bann was defenseless.

"Then…" Judis hesitated to make his next move.

'DO IT!'

"Yes… I summon… I… I summon…"

A great black shadow rose from behind Judis, grabbed him by the head, lifted him up until blood ran down his clasped head, and threw him across the field. He lay motionless far from the others.

"I am the Lord of the Ninth… Asmodeus!" yelled the shadow.

The three Hell Soldiers broke down and fed the shadow, giving him a physical body. He was enormous bluish giant with great black wings, claws, and a black goatee. Black hair flowed down his head and great red horns grew out of his forehead. His eyes were made of fire. He stepped forward laughed maniacally.

"Only darkness survives here. You… you lose."

Asmodeus lifted his great claw and slammed it down on Bann, knocking him into the air.

"BANN!" the Bashers yelled at their unmoving friend.

"This Dark Duel is over. You lose. Behold the awakening of Erebus."

"I'm not done yet, Asmodeus…"

"What!"

"Before you were summoned… I activated Angel Shield. It protected me from half the damage I would have taken this turn. I still have some life left in me."

"Damn you. I will see to your death in the next turn."

Next time on City of Fire: Heaven's Wrath. Behold the Knights of Glory


	23. Heaven's Wrath

Chapter 23: Heaven's Wrath. Behold the Knights of Glory

"I don't plan to give in so easily, Asmodeus… I have one more trick up my sleeve. I activate Monster Reincarnation. This brings Dark Knight Soul back to my mind. Then, I activate another Polymerization, fusing Dark Knight Soul, Hard Armor, Fiend Sword, and Cursed Shield."

Three objects appeared on the field: a suit of armor, a large sword, and a black shield. They fused together when a blue fire incorporated itself into the armor.

"Arise, Wicked Knight Dullahan!"

The armor came to life. Flesh formed beneath the armor and red eyes glowed through the helm.

"Dullahan, attack with Wicked Breaker."

Dullahan lifted his enormous fiend sword and charged at Asmodeus.

"Dullahan has an infinite attack, so when you go, you go."

"…grr…"

Asmodeus lifted his arm and blocked Dullahan's attack! Dullahan flew backwards and landed on his feet next to Bann.

"What? What happened?"

"I am the Lord of Hell. I will not be downed by such a weak attack. Nessus blocks all effects that target me."

"No…"

"Too bad for your Dullahan."

"I cast a spell and end my turn."

"Good…" Asmodeus said as he spread his wings and lifted his arm again. He brought it down on Dullahan, but Dullahan countered! He lifted his blade to protect himself, fending off Asmodeus attack.

"I activate Last Clash. This spell makes Dullahan your equal for the turn, but you won't be destroyed in battle."

"You protect your life, but you lose your knight."

Dullahan's armor vanished, but he didn't disappear. The remains of his soul transformed into a red demon.

"Meet Hellion Dullahan, the true form of the Wicked Knight. Oh, and guess what. He is far more powerful than you now, Asmodeus!"

"I knew you had it in you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Look at the Cree you just summoned. A demon, far stronger than me. Cree is the reflection of the soul, and if Dullahan is a powerful demon, then you are as well!"

Bann's eyes widened. He dropped to his knees in shock. What had he done? Dullahan roared. He became uncontrollable and struck Asmodeus' chest with his own claws, releasing a pool of devil blood and obliterating Asmodeus' body. The pit of Nessus vanished. They returned to the tower.

"Is it over? We won?" Recks asked.

"Not quite…" Jigen started.

"What do you…"

"Look," Tiamat pointed to the sky.

Hellion Dullahan flew overhead. He let out bursts of energy, destroying buildings and igniting everything in his path.

"We beat one demon, just to unleash a stronger one."

"Yin… and yang… We are unbalanced. Each time we destroy evil, it just proves we are more powerful, so more powerful evil awakens."

"I don't think I can beat that thing. I am out of powerful Cree…"

"Can't we help you?"

"No, this is still part of the shadow game with Judis. I have to beat that thing on my own, but without any Cree to help me, its useless."

"…Then take ours…" Zakei said. "Dark Magician, I transfer you to Bann's soul."

The spirit of Dark Magician rose from Zakei and vanished.

"Whoa, we can do that?" Morgen jumped back in shock.

"Go, Armed Dragon."

"And I send Dimension Warrior."

"Go Giant Rex."

They all turned and looked at Morgen.

"What? Oh, fine. I send you Masaki the Legendary Swordsman."

"Thank you all," Bann said and turned toward Dullahan.

"Wait Bann," Zakei said reaching into his pocket. 'B for Bann.'

"What is it?"

"This, catch. Rooko told me to give this to you." He took out the crest and passed it to Bann.

"Knight's Title. Alright, my turn. Prepare to go down, Dullahan. I activate Black Magic Curtain, Special Summoning Dark Magician. Then I cast one spell and end my turn."

Dullahan turned toward Bann. He saw Dark Magician and understood. Dullahan spread his wings, lifted his head into the sky, roared, and let out a burst of energy. Then he looked down at Dark Magician and shot another attack. Dark Magician was destroyed, but Bann took no damage since the Magician was in Defense Position.

"My turn. I activate Holy Rebirth. I have to destroy a Cree, but I can then summon a Cree destroyed during the previous turn. Return Dark Magician. Then, I activate Level Tuning, Special Summoning the Armed Dragon whose soul I traded for Dark Magician's. For my next trick, I activate Level Up, raising him into his ultimate level. Then, I activate Call to Arms, Special Summoning Masaki and Dimensional Warrior. Then, I summon Giant Rex."

All the Cree his friends had given him were now on the field, ready to take down Dullahan.

"Finally, I use Knight's Title." Bann lifted the small crest between his thumb and index finger.

The clouds above parted and light struck the five monsters. They all transformed in the light, changing into five spectacular knights.

"Meet the Knights of Glory: Dark Magician Knight, Armed Knight, D.D. Knight, Gallant Knight Rex, and Masaki the Legendary Knight! Now, Dark Magician Knight, use your Special Ability to destroy one of Dullahan's souls."

Dark Magician Knight jumped into the air and struck Dullahan with his sword, cutting him clear in half, but the red behemoth reformed himself.

"Masaki, take out another of Dullahan's souls."

Masaki did the same as Dark Magician Knight, striking Dullahan, who reformed himself again.

"Next, I'll have Gallant Knight Rex take out another soul. I activate Rush Recklessly!"

Gallant Knight Rex also struck Dullahan, leaving him paralyzed.

"Armed Knight, finish him!"

Armed Knight lifted his sword into the air. Lightning shot out of the blade and hit the clouds above. Then lightning struck Dullahan, breaking his body apart into millions of disintegrating pieces. Within, Judis' body lay unconscious.

"This ends now… D.D. Knight, strike Judis' soul and end this duel."

D.D. Knight vanished and reappeared in front of Judis. He pulled out his sword and plunged it into Judis' heart.

Bann collapsed. The duel was finally over. Hellion Dullahan was destroyed along with the Lords of the Nine. Judis was defeated and the city was safe. Bann could finally rest…

Next time on City of Fire: In Her Majesties' Services


	24. In Her Majestie's Services

Chapter 24: In Her Majesties' Services

Dullahan shot a burst of energy, incinerating the Knight's of Glory and his friends who had given their Cree to him. The tower broke and Bann fell to the ground. The city beneath lay in ruins.

Bann screamed as he fell from the enormous height. "NOOOOOOO!"

"NOOOOOOO!"

"Bann! Bann, it's alright. We're here for you." A familiar voice spoke echoed in his head.

His body jerked and he popped up in bed, hitting his head on the wooden beam above. His head ricocheted and he fell back onto the pillowed.

"Ooh, lemme help you with that," said the same familiar voice.

Bann opened his eyes to the sight of a beautiful young girl who was placing a wet cloth on his forehead. "Migome…"

"Shhh… you've been asleep for almost a day now. The city is being rebuilt outside and the N00bs have been driven off. You did it Bann. You saved us all."

"Then… why don't I feel like I did?"

He tried to move again. His body was wrapped in cloths and he ached all over. Cuts and bruises covered his battered body and his ribs burned.

"How many did I break?"

"Three, and you're lucky that's all. You also lost a lot of blood and Zakei had to whip up a special potion because your soul was near nothing. I know you're a Basher, but I wish you'd stop taking on such powerful adversaries."

"Well, you are too. But I am an elite. It is my duty to protect this city from the strongest."

Migome looked away. Tears started to form in her eyes. Bann blinked and thought for a second.

"Hey, at least I've got you to look after me."

Migome turned back towards Bann and grasped him. Tears flowed out of her eyes.

Bann flailed his arms in pain and shouted, "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ouch! Not so hard."

"Sorry. Oh, Bann!"

"Huh?"

"Lady Janime said she needed to speak with you and the other Elites as soon as you were able to move. She said it's very important."

"What! Oh man, I gotta go!" Bann jumped out of bed, threw on his clothes, rushed out the door and fell on his face. "Ow…"

"…Boys…"

"So, what have you gathered?"

"Not much. It seems the N00bs have vanished back into the swamps as mysteriously as they appeared last night. Their attack was very unlike them. Too well planned. Also, those N00bs we fought in the castle were much stronger than normal. Something must have been giving them help."

"Or someone…"

"You think that Reckah…"

"If Dismay had anything to do with it…"

"But how? I thought only Anims and N00bs could use Cree. How could a Reckah learn to wield it?"

"Tiamat! Zakei!"

"Morgen, good to see you. Any news?"

"Yeah. Bann just woke up."

"Already?"

"Yeah. He's got a fighter's spirit in him, that he does. He can barely walk, but at least he's conscious. Lady Janime has scheduled a meeting within the Great Hall. We are all to meet there within the hour. I already told Recks, Jigen, and Rooko-sensei. We are supposed to meet with Count Youngblood outside the castle gate."

"Alright. Then we better go."

"Look, it's the others," Recks pointed out to Bann and Migome.

Migome was using a specially fashioned wheelbarrow to carry Bann to the castle. They had just entered the courtyard with Recks and could now see Jigen, Morgen, Tiamat, and Zakei waiting with Count Youngblood.

"Good. You are all here."

"All? What about Rooko-sensei?"

"He is already inside. I have been instructed by the Lady to bring you up to speed as we enter the Great Hall. Follow me."

The Bashers and Migome followed Count Youngblood through the garden towards the castle gate.

Count Youngblood was the queen's closest relative and the only person in the court who spoke to her by her first name, and she did the same, but only when the two spoke in private. He was also the highest patron of the court and in charge of conducting all religious services. He was a very well learned man and quite well mannered. It was unknown to even the Bashers, but it was rumored that he held a very powerful Cree, but seldom used it, either because he couldn't control it or because the rumors were just completely untrue.

"As you all know, no doubt, the City of Janime was brought under a random attack by the N00bs last night. I am, as well as everyone else, greatly thankful for all your help in driving back the N00b forces," Youngblood said to the group, looking for quite some time at Bann as he said it. Even he was amazed at Bann's speedy recovery.

Bann started to think about it himself. Why had he recovered so quickly? 'It couldn't be Migome's medicine. Damn, what's happening to me? After my battle with Fortris, I was left for dead, but I managed to wake up from that. Could it be the power of my Cree? Do they now have the power to protect my soul from the Dark Duels? Hold on. Queen's Knight? Gearfried? Where are they? In fact, where are all the Cree? Last night, we were talking to them, but today, they seem to have just vanished,' he thought to himself and then returned to listening to Count Youngblood.

"…her respects and wishes to speak with you all. She says she has urgent news to tell you, as well as some surprises. Ah, here we are already. Walk through the large oak doors and into the Great Hall. I shall meet you in there."

The Bashers walked to the doors, which opened by themselves as they approached. On the other side, they saw six men, three at each door, opening and closing the large wooden gates. At the far end of the hall sad Lord Archer and Lady Janime, the King and Queen. Standing at there sides were Rooko and Count Youngblood, who was just walking in through a side door. Patrons of the court stood lining the large stone room, bathed in rich blue and silver cloths. It was truly a sight to behold, befitting such an elegant castle.

The Bashers continued forward, stopping at the edge of the blue carpet that flowed down the hall floor like a rich river. They looked from King Archer to Queen Janime and then stared at the ground and bowed (well, Bann didn't bow, but can you really blame him?).

Lady Janime looked down at the six men and Migome, who quickly hurried over to the side as to not be in the way.

"These are dark times we are in," the Queen began. "We are a peaceful city, set fourth by my ancestors many ages ago. We have been through many trials. The great famines, the war with the Reckah, and the now, we must battle these N00bs. No one truly understands why these creatures do what…"

"I do…" Bann said in a low undertone.

Everyone in the court gasped

"What was that, young man?"

"I understand them. I understand why they do it, whether their reason be pure or tainted."

"Then would you like to explain?" King Archer's commanding voice asked Bann.

"Fun," was Bann's only reply.

"I daresay, that is hardly fun, killing people."

"It is to them," Bann glared out at the King.

"They are a sick people. They care not for what is right or wrong. They do what they do for fun. At least, that is what they claim."

"So, you must be the famous Bann. The Elite Basher who fought the N00b on the tower last night. You spoke with the N00b you were battling?"

"He knew our language. During the duel, he told me himself. He said that he and his comrades killed for fun."

"How could they speak our language?"

"If I may," Rooko stepped in. "I believe they may be evolving. Something… or perhaps someone, is making them stronger, more intelligent, and capable of planning complex strategies. That is why they were able to overtake us so easily last night and take on the Elites. And if they continue to evolve, I don't know if we will be able to take on the N00bs next time they attack."

"What do you suppose is doing this?"

"The Reckah," Tiamat let out a gasp as he said the name.

"Impossible. They were banished centuries ago."

"Just because they are banished doesn't mean they can't return. It just means we do not wish it."

"What makes you say a Reckah did this?"

"My lady, Tiamat and I fought against one by the name of Dismay last night. He used very advanced tactics and overtook both of us in a single move. He later returned within the tower, taking control of both our bodies and forcing us to fight against Morgen and Recks," Jigen informed them.

"Interesting. We must look into this. Rooko?"

"I understand, but I will need some help."

"Take whoever you need."

"Thank you. Morgen Jundi, Jigen Nosen, and Cios Drig."

Morgen and Jigen stepped up. Another man in the crowd, a bit younger than them, stepped forward as well.

"The three of you will be accompanying me to the Eastern Mountains. It is there that the Reckah were imprisoned. There is something else there…"

"Rooko, you speak of the Holy Dragon?" King Archer asked.

"Yes, my lord. As I have told you, the N00bs spoke of a Blood God. I fear that if this Blood God were to be awakened, we may need to rely on the powers of the Six Divine Beings to protect us."

"I shall allow it, but you name not capture the soul of the dragon, you may only ask for its help."

"Yes, my lord," Rooko said again and bowed. He then turned to leave, gestured to the men he had picked to follow him, and began to leave. "We leave first thing tomorrow. Pack warm clothes. The mountains are famous for their Souler Winds, winds that chill down to the very soul of whoever walks within them."

"King Archer, Lady Janime," Bann spoke again. "We… with Rooko gone, and by taking Morgen and Jigen, we are…"

"Do not worry, young warrior. We have already planned for this day," Queen Janime spoke in a cool, soothing voice now. "Step forth Migome Kiho, Jesi Saius, and Vaila Maho."

Migome walked back to where she had been standing behind Bann's wagon. Another two Bashers stepped out from the side. Bann recognized Jesi. He was Tiamat's best friend and ran Cree somewhat similar to his buddy. He was unfamiliar with Vaila's style, but knew she must be strong from her presence.

"You three are now Mods. You have kept the City of Janime safe from the inside, taking on slightly lesser jobs than the Elites. However, now that we are short three elite members; Rooko, Jigen, and Morgen; you three shall take their places as Elite Duelists. Also, during Rooko's absense, Zakei Stride shall lead the Elite Bashers. That is all. You are dismissed."

Next time on City of Fire: Wings of Blood


	25. Wings of Blood

Chapter 25: Wings of Blood

Almost a week had passed since Rooko and the others left. The city had returned to normalcy. All the buildings that were burned down were now standing again. The injured civilians were all in hospital beds and the dead were buried. Bann was able to walk again after two days and he kept a sharp lookout over the town along with the other Bashers.

"A week and not even a trace," Zakei said while looking out over the city walls. "The N00bs are gone."

"This is strange, even for them. They usually regroup by now and attack. Hey Bann, what's up?" Recks asked his brother who was staring off into the distance.

Bann staggered for a moment, looking at the mountains to the east. "It… it's nothing. I just have a bad feeling."

"Like what?"

"I have a question for both of you."

"Yeah?"

"Remember that night at the castle? Remember… our Cree?"

"What about it?"

"We could talk to them. They helped and healed us."

Zakei and Recks stared at Bann in disbelief.

"You must remember. You guys spoke to Dark Magician Girl and Cave Girl."

"I don't remember much about the night on the tower. Everything before transferring our Cree to you is blurred. Parts of my memory are missing."

"I remember my duel with Jigen, but…"

"You don't… remember…" 'Was it all a dream? Am I going crazy? I know it was them that saved me. But Gearfried, not since I fought Levistus have I been able to even summon him. In fact, I haven't been able to summon a lot of my Cree in quite some time.'

"The day is over. We should go home and get some rest."

Later that night, Bann slept uncomfortably. He twisted and turned in his bed. Dreams of Gearfried being massacred by an army of small demons, Joker's Knight getting possessed by the giant serpent, Mammon, and changing into serpentine creature himself, Saint Knight Isaac being eradicated by Baalzebul, and finally, Dullahan, the uncontrollable demon created from his own darkness. No wonder his Cree had now abandoned him. They were afraid of what he had become. They were gone now and he didn't deserve to get them back.

BANG

"Wuh?" Bann woke up from the sound of an attack. Were they back again? They waited one week and were pulling the same strike? Bann grabbed his clothes and ran outside, but everything was fine except for a strange dark creature with enormous, blood red wings on top of the castle tower, visible in the moonlight.

"What is that thing?" Recks asked as he ran out of the house.

"No idea."

"What's going on?" Zakei yelled at the others as he came running down the road.

Tiamat, Jesi, Migome, and Vaila followed. They were shaken up, but the rest of the town lay peaceful.

"Why are we the only ones outside?"

"We… we were called. The bang. Whoever did it only wanted us to hear."

"But who did it?"

"Him," Bann said as he pointed up to the creature on top of the tower. "I'm having another bad feeling. This seems all to much like déjà vu."

"You said it. Didn't you beat Asmodeus last week?"

"Don't remind me."

As the words left his mouth, the creature jumped into the air and blacked out the moon with its silhouette. It flew down to the city and landed in an alleyway in front of them, covered by the shadows.

"Brace yourselves. Asmodeus was one of… no, was the strongest opponent I ever fought."

"Are you comparing me to a devil? I am far from being some pathetic devil lord."

A man dressed in a blood red cloak walked out of the ally. He was not much taller than Bann and he wore a red headband above his eyes. Black hair flowed down his back. His eyes were a crimson red and sparkled in the twilight.

"Who are you?"

"Me? Hmmm… we usually don't take on names, but… let's see. You can call me Sagitar if you like. It means Final Sight in my language."

"Final… Sagitar? What are you? Was that Cree that you were using?"

"Actually, my people can't use Cree. Our souls are too twisted. Well, I shouldn't say that. I can use Cree, but those wings you saw were my own."

"What the hell are you!"

"I am a Bloodwing, of course. The missing link between the world of humans and demons. We were born from the fires of hell, but have settled on the human plane. Normally, we keep to ourselves, but at the moment, that is impossible."

"Why?" Recks inquired.

"Because of Erebus. He commands that we oversee his revival. Of course, I would rather speed it along, but that is only because I have a lack of patience."

"Why do you want him revived? To destroy the world?"

"Of course not. Why would I ever use somebody else to do my own handiwork? I want to kill him. As I am now, it is impossible, but soon I will have the power. All I need is Cree and the power of the Divine Gods. I have the power to use Cree. Now I need the power of the six."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Well, I have recently acquired my Cree and I wanted to test it against the one known as Bann. If he has the power to defeat the Lords of the Nine, then this should be quite the match."

"What makes you say that?" Bann asked as he stepped forward.

"Well, you see, after acquiring this power, I traveled through all nine hells and defeated each Lord, one-by-one."

"Im… impossible…"

"You didn't think you killed them, did you? No, you only were able to go deeper. Anyway, what say we get this duel started?"

Bann just stared at Sagitar. He knew he was in trouble. Most of his Cree was gone. Although he was physically normal, he wasn't mentally. He would never be able to defeat him. He looked back at his friends. 'This is for them. This is for all of my friends. Even the ones who aren't with me.' "Duel!"

"I'll start. Ah yes. You may recognize some of the creatures I am about to use. While searching from this power, I came across your old master."

"Hmm?"

"I summon Archfiend Soldier."

"Wait, Archfiend? The Sinwraith. How did you get his Cree?"

"Well, I think it suits me more than him, but I will tell you. When I came across Rooko in the Eastern Mountains, almost frozen in the snow, dark creatures were tormenting his mind, so I used a special ritual I had learned to place part of his soul within me. With it, I took the dark creatures as my own."

"What happened to Rooko?"

"He is fine… for now. In appreciation, I helped him find a cave."

"What happened to the three men who were with him?"

"Three men? All I saw was him."

'Jigen, Morgen, Cios… Rooko-sensei…' "Finish your turn, Sagitar."

"Oh, I will. I cast two spells. Your turn, Bann."

"Alright." 'Shit…' "I summon Steed of the Fierce Knight. This legendary stallion allows me to Special Summon Gaia the Lone Knight."

A familiar purple horse trotted onto the field, followed by Gaia, now wielding a sword in his right arm and a shield in his left.

"I cast one spell and end my turn."

"Ah, I see your power now. I am not impressed. Let's really get this duel started, shall we?"

Next time on City of Fire: Time for a Change


	26. Time for a Change

Chapter 26: Time for a Change

"Ah, I see your power now. I am not impressed. Let's really get this duel started, shall we? I start my turn by summoning Archfiend Musketeer."

Another fiend, similar to Archfiend Soldier, appeared before Sagitar. It held a black musket and it crouched and aimed at Bann and his monsters.

"Now… die. Soldier, Musketeer, attack Gaia and his steed."

Bann took the hit and fell to the ground. He was already starting the duel badly. Without his best monsters, he knew this duel would be the end of him.

"Uhhh…"

"Come on Bann. Don't give up." It was Migome.

Bann looked from side to side. His friends were still behind him. 'This duel is for them. I will not lose.' "My turn. I summon Dragon Rider. When he attacks, his attack power doubles."

A knight riding on the back of a dragon flew overhead.

"Dragon Rider, strike down my foe!"

The dragon flew down to the field. The knight struck Archfiend Soldier and took him out.

"Good. I activate Demonic Rebirth. This brings my Archfiend Soldier back to the field with even more attack."

"No…" Vaila knew what was about to happen.

"What the hell? I thought this guy was supposed to be good." Jesi asked Tiamat.

"Shhh, don't count Bann out yet." 'He has to have some trick up his sleeve, I hope.'

"I… end my turn."

"I summon Archfiend Lancer. Now, Archfiend Musketeer, attack Dragon Rider."

Musketeer lifted his rifle and aimed at Dragon Rider. He pulled the trigger and shot a bullet at the knight's head.

"I activate Draining Shield."

The knight lifted his shield to block the bullet. The bullet was absorbed into the shield and light rained down on Bann, feeding his life.

"Damn you. Archfiend Lancer, take out that damned knight."

The lancer lifted his lance at Dragon Rider. It elongated and struck Dragon Rider, destroying him. Then, Archfiend Soldier followed with a direct attack to Bann, throwing him a few feet. Blood dripped out of the sword wound.

"cough That… that won't stop me. I swear it."

"Oh yes it will. I cast two spells. Try and get past my elite squadron."

"Fine. I activate The Warrior Returning Alive. Then I activate my Polymerization, fusing Dragon Rider and Noble Knight Horseman to summon Noble Knight of Winged Dragon. Now, attack Sagitar directly!"

The knight flew over the three Archfiends and struck Sagitar, who staggered a bit from the wound, but was otherwise unphased.

"Well, at least you finally did some damage to me."

"Expect some more, real soon. I cast one spell and end my turn."

"Good. My turn. I activate my trap, The Archfiend Unit. I decided to wait to activate it, just in case. Now, I can roll this die."

Sagitar revealed a black gloved hand from beneath his cloak. In it, he held a black die with red dots. He dropped it to the ground and it spun, landing on a six.

"Excellent. This means that I can activate any two effects of this trap."

The three Archfiends formed up and lifted their weapons into the sky, and then stuck them into the earth. A fissure opened and dragged Noble Knight of Winged Dragon down into it. Then, a new Archfiend rose from the ground.

"Arise Skull Archfiend of Lightning. Bring your wrath down upon my foe. Next, I activate Ultimate Offering, offering Archfiend Lancer, Musketeer, and Soldier as tributes to summon Invader of Darkness and Dark Ruler Ha Des."

"What is this? Most of these demons didn't come from Rooko."

"Yes, well during my stay in Hell, I developed new demons and archfiends as I increased my power. I am now much stronger than that specter your old teacher faced. Now, to finish this off, I just need one more powerful monster, so I summon Warrior of Zera. Look familiar? Good, because its time to see his true power. Activate Pandemonium!"

The entire field fell into a hell-like vortex. Bones, blood, and fire filled the halls of this unholy land.

"Time to die."

Zera transformed into Mazera.

"gulp"

"ATTACK!"

"Activate Shield Wall."

Four Stone Knight rose up to protect Bann. All four were quickly taken out by Skull Archfiend, Ha Des, Mazera, and Invader of Darkness.

"Very well. You save yourself this turn. I set two traps. Go."

"I have a question. Why are you here? Why do you need to defeat me?"

"You know, I really didn't think of that. I suppose I wanted another opponent. One who could match my skill. You are the only Anim who has ever fought the Lords of the Nine and lived. You defied death."

'De… defied death? No wonder I've survived. The Lords of the Nine… they can't kill me. If death itself can't do me in… what can?' "Are you saying… are you saying I'm immortal?"

"Of course not. No one is immortal. I am saying that your death will be a spectacular one, but your afterlife… you will either rule Hell or serve in Heaven. I for one would prefer to rule Hell, but that's just me."

"Sicko. My turn. I activate Fusion Recovery. Now, I Gather the Round Table, bringing Dark Flare Knight to the field. Then, using Polymerization, I can fuse him with Mirage Knight to form the ultimate knight! Go, Shining Flare Mirage Knight!"

A Knight clad in black and gold armor, jumped out onto the field in a ray of light so bright that Pandemonium vanished. His brilliant shine continued to cover the field. It was impossible to look at him directly.

"Shining Flare Mirage Knight, attack Skull Archfiend of Lightning."

"Once again you make the mistake of completely ignoring my traps. Activate The Three!"

A circle of black flames surrounded Ha Des, Mazera, and Invader of Darkness. The flames shot out all over the field and struck Bann and Shining Flare Mirage Knight. The fires consumed the knight, reducing his luster to nothingness and leaving nothing but molten ash.

'How? He… he's too powerful. He's defeated everything I've thrown at him. I'm done for in my next turn.'

"Bann… Bann…"

'Who? Who's there? Let me die in peace.'

"How could you forget me?"

Bann looked up. "Queen's Knight!"

"What was that?"

"This duel isn't over yet." 'Where've you been? I could have used you and the others like… twenty minutes ago!'

"We… we were lost. Your soul had changed. Some of your Cree adapted, but others… let's just say that it was a bad scene. Because of Dullahan, we were afraid that we might be twisted in the same way. We left until you had returned to your old self."

'I knew it. I knew it was me.' "But nevermore! My next card is Grave Return. It returns everything that was removed from play this turn to my Graveyard. Then, I activate Ride of the Paladins. This allows me to Special Summon Queen's Knight, King's Knight, and Jack's Knight. I offer all three of them as a Tribute and remove Dark Flare Knight, Mirage Knight, Noble Knight of Winged Dragon, Noble Knight Horseman, and Dragon Rider from play."

All five knights appeared on the field in a circle. A pillar of light shot down and engulfed them. Queen, King, and Jack's Knight appeared within the pillar and soon vanished as well. Out stepped four silver clad knights, each carrying a different weapon. Finally, a gold clad knight holding an enormous sword followed them.

"Meet the Knights of the Round Table."

Sagitar's eyes widened. It was hard to tell if it was in shock or glee. He definitely hadn't expected Bann to summon such a powerful creature, or rather, five powerful creatures in a single turn.

"You are truly amazing, Bann the Basher. I'll give you that, but like all good things, even they must come to an end. I activate Dark Fusion of Bloodwing, fusing Mazera DeVille and Invader of Darkness to summon Bloodwing Archfiend. This is the end for you. My Bloodwing has much more attack that your knights. Once it destroys it, I will be free to attack you directly with my remaining two monsters. You will not outlive this turn."

"I disagree, but continue."

"Bloodwing, Dark Air Counterstrike!"

Bloodwing Archfiend spread its wings and rose into the air. It was enormous. In fact, the walls of the cave seemed to spread out just so it could move.

Bann stared at it with cold and assuring eyes. He would not let that thing beat him.

Floating in midair, the gigantic demon lifted a mighty claw and swung it at Bann's knights.

"Activate Knight's Shield."

"What? You never set…"

"You never let me finish. I set two traps. This was one of them."

"Eh, I'm not that stupid! I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit!"

"Oh shit."

"Bann's screwed."

"No…"

"Bro, you idiot."

BAM Bloodwing flattened all five knights with one attack.

Blood shot out of Bann's mouth. He coughed a few more times and fell to his knees.

"This is the end of the road. I thought you would give me more sport. Skull Archfiend, shock him."

Skull Archfiend lifted his arms into the air. Lightning formed between his claws and flew into the air. It then fell down on Bann, covering his body with a blue glow.

"Duel's over. You lose," Sagitar turned away and started to walk off.

"Come back here, you bastard. Tell me that… when you beat me."

Sagitar looked back at Bann. "What? You should be dead."

"I'm sorry. Did you forget? I said I had two traps. Once again you make the mistake of completely ignoring my traps. I activated Noble Soul. It protected me from all damage after my knights were destroyed."

"You… shit. You won't survive another turn."

"Probably not, but I'll make sure I take you down with me. My turn." 'What? What's this?'

"Bann, you must use this monster. He may be your only hope of winning."

'Okay…' "I activate Knight's Rebirth, Special Summoning Gaia the Lone Knight. Then, I Special Summon the Legendary Dragon of Time. It's time for a change, Sagitar, and here he is. Timaeus!"

The great teal dragon flew above Bann's head. He roared at Sagitar, who stepped back in horror. He knew what he was about to face.

'The Legendary Dragons are known only in legend. How the hell did he get one? If he realizes how to use it, I don't stand a chance."

'I'm putting my faith in you, Queen's Knight.' "Timaeus, fuse with Gaia to form Dragon Knight Gaia of the Gale."

Gaia leapt into the air, landing on Timaeus' back. The two formed together. Gaia's sword and shield became two lances.

"Now, Gaia, take Excalibur and Excelsior."

The two legendary swords appeared in Gaia's hands, replacing the lances.

"This makes our Cree equal, or somewhat equal. Gaia, attack!"

Gaia lifted both swords into the air and swung them like and "X". A cross-shaped beam flew at Bloodwing Archfiend, who returned fire with a ball of black flames shot from his mouth. The two attacks met in the middle of the field, ending in a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, Gaia continued to fly overhead on Timaeus but Bloodwing Archfiend was gone.

"I see. You have a dragon now. I am no match for Timaeus right now, so I concede. The duel is yours."

Pandemonium vanished along with the remaining demons.

"What? You can't get away that easily."

"What more do you want? I lost. I came here to find what I needed, and now I see that I was both right and wrong."

Sagitar began to transform. The red cloak he wore unwrapped and formed two blood red wings. His headband ripped open as two horns sprouted from his forehead. His hands turned to claws and a long tail grew behind him. His pupils dilated and whitened as his irises grew, making his entire eyes seem like a deep red color. Sagitar was truly a Bloodwing Demon. He was frightening to look upon in his transformed state, and luckily, he didn't stay long. He flew off into the night and vanished.

Next time on City of Fire: Quest of the Bashers


	27. Quest of the Bashers

Chapter 27: Quest of the Bashers

In the morning twilight, the Bashers gathered outside in the square. They stood in the very spot Bann fought Sagitar only hours before.

"You look well, Bann. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Actually, I've never felt better. Isn't that right, guys?"

Queen's Knight appeared by his side and smiled. "Yeah."

"Why did you just summon Queen's Knight?" Zakei asked.

"Bann, they can't hear me. Remember, only people who can talk to there…"

"But…" 'But they could. On the tower that night, they all could.'

"Not anymore. They're memory is fragmented from losing parts of their soul."

'Great, now I sound like I'm crazy.' "Um… just to test my power. Make sure I'm fine and stuff."

"Alright, well then. We have to talk about what just happened. What was with that Sagitar guy? How did he, you know, transform like that?" Zakei started his leadership shtick.

"He said he was a Bloodwing, but I didn't think they existed. I heard they were only folklore from the Northern Wastes," Vaila added.

"Well, he was pretty real to me, but what really concerns me…"

"… is what he said about Rooko-sensei." Tiamat finished.

"Exactly."

"Hello there, young Basher Elites."

The Bashers turned to see Count Youngblood riding up to them in a carriage.

"I have been ordered by their Royal Highnesses to gather the seven of you and bring you to the court. They know of what happened last night and must speak with you immediately. Please, get in."

Shortly after, they were in the royal court again, standing before the king and queen. This time, the room was almost empty.

"We know of what happened last night. What can you tell us?" Lord Archer inquired.

Zakei proceeded to tell the king and queen what had happened with Recks and Jesi filling in the details.

"I see, so a Bloodwing has become involved, and he has the power to use Cree. Quite interesting. Are you sure that what he said about Rooko and the others was true?"

"He had to meet up with Rooko."

"What makes you say this?"

Bann explained. "Sagitar, this Bloodwing, he used some of Rooko's own Cree. The only possible way to do this is if he took some of Rooko's soul, which means that he had to see him. He also said that Rooko was alone."

"True. This has become quite a predicament. On one hand, we have the word of a demon with amazing powers, who could very well be leading us into a trap, but on the other hand, if his speaks sooth, then the lives of some of our people could be at stake, and as king, I cannot allow that. Bann, Zakei, I need you to go into the mountains and look for them. You two are the strongest of the Bashers."

"I want to go too," Recks added in.

"Yeah, if my buddy goes, I go," Tiamat followed.

"And don't count me out," Jesi said. "I wanna see some action."

"I'll follow my friends to the ends of the earth," Vaila was also ready to go.

"And… I'll go too," Migome wouldn't be left out.

"I can't… I can't allow this. If the seven of you go, we will be unprotected.

"The N00bs aren't a problem anymore. They won't be attacking for a long time."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. Their strongest is dead. It will take a long time to regroup and plan an attack on that scale, and while they're gone, we get stronger, so they will be exceptionally cautious. I'm sure what remaining Bashers we have as Mods will be more than enough to take on a small scale attack."

"Alright, I give you a week. You must be back by then. You leave tomorrow. Count Youngblood will take you as far as the rocky creeks. You are dismissed."

The Bashers turned and left. All except Bann were gone, who stopped halfway out the room, turned, and walked back.

"What is it?"

"When Rooko started the quest, he said something about a Dragon. What can you tell me about this?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Sagitar said he wanted the power of the gods, and that the Dragon was one of them."

"Ah, you wish to know more of the four divine winds and the two axis?"

"Yes."

"In each direction, the winds of change are controlled by a different being. To the north, Cheops the Stone Turtle rests within an icy fortress. To the south, Ra the Blazing Phoenix is perched, looking upon the northern sky. To the east, Osiris the Saint Dragon slumbers in the mountains. To the west, Sekhmet the Sacred Lion watches over the forests. When these four are awakened, they will unleash terrible power that will destroy the world or save it. Only the two axis know."

"And what are the axis?"

"The axis of heaven, the Great Colossus Obelisk and the axis of hell, the Demon Jackal Anubis."

"He wants the power of these six gods? What would happen if someone controlled all this power?"

"Some say they would die from an overload. Some say they would become immortal gods themselves and rule over this world and the next. I have no idea, honestly."

"Why would Rooko want to awaken them, then?"

"Erebus. Legend speaks of the blood god and his mighty power. It is believed that the only thing that can stop him is the power of the One. Know one really knows what the One is, but some believe that by uniting the six divine gods in battle, he might appear."

"So, Rooko is trying to release them in order to summon the One, and Sagitar is trying to absorb the powers of the divine gods so he can attain the power of the One and possibly become the One himself?"

"Yes, I believe so. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

"Yes. What are the Legendary Dragons?"

"Where did you hear of them?"

"I have one."

"Then you are a chosen. Perhaps…"

"What?"

"I can say no more. Protect that Dragon. It is as much a part of you as you are of it. Bann, you must get ready to go."

"Yes, sir. Thank you King Archer," Bann said and turned and ran off. Although the information about the Dragons wasn't much, it was enough to work on. Also, he now understood what was going on.

The next morning came in a flash. Bann woke up at dawn's first light. He rubbed his eyes and jumped out of bed. Recks was already waiting at the entrance of the house.

"Come on, sleepy. The others are already waiting for us."

"I'm coming. I'm coming. Just wait up." Bann grabbed his things and ran out the door and down to the city gates.

Standing at the gates were his friends. Migome, Jesi, Tiamat, Vaila, and Zakei were all waiting.

Zakei made his usual snide remark. "The great Bann has finally shown up."

"Well, let's get this show on the road."

"We got a lot of ground to cover and some friends to rescue."

Bann looked around, stuck his finger in the air, pointed at the mountains, and shouted, "Next stop, the Eastern Mountains!"

Next time on City of Fire: Unusual Vacation. The Eastern Mountains


	28. Unusual Vacation

Chapter 28: Unusual Vacation. The Eastern Mountains

It seemed like forever. Bann looked back at his comrades who were all tired from the long walk. It had only been a few hours, but they were wiped out.

'How much longer can it be?'

Three hours earlier:

"Well, this is it," Count Youngblood told the Bashers as he stopped carriage and let them out.

"What's it?"

"This is as far as I can take you my carriage. Past here, it is too rocky to travel by horse. You will have to continue your journey on foot."

"WHAT!" Jesi yelled.

"I'm sorry, but you must understand, it is too dangerous from here. You have to hike."

"Crap. This is the worst vacation ever."

"Just get your shit and go," Tiamat said as he picked up a large bag and threw it at Jesi, who narrowly avoided it. "Told ya to pack light."

Back at the present time:

"Hey Zakei."

"Yeah Bann?" Zakei said as he approached his friend.

"Listen, it's getting dark. We've been walking for hours. I know we can go farther…"

"Then we will."

"No, listen. Let's get our bearings and set up camp. We'll continue tomorrow morning."

"We have three friends and a teacher who could be dead right now and you want to rest?"

"If we don't get rest, we might end up like them. Let's stop for now."

Zakei was in silent thought for a second. "Alright, Bann. Everyone," Zakei's voice got louder, "we set up camp. Let's find a stream."

Later that night, the Bashers were sitting around a campfire among the trees.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Tomorrow morning, we move out at dawn. This is your last night of getting a good sleep, so enjoy it."

"Already was, if you hadn't so rudely interrupted," Migome said from her sleeping bag.

Bann laughed.

After a sigh, Zakei spoke up again. "I'm going to get more firewood. Bann, keep watch."

Bann watched as Zakei got up and left. 'Hmmm…'

"Whatcha doin?"

"Wha!" Bann yelled and fell over.

"What the hell? Stop making so much noise, Bann."

"Uh… um, sorry. I fell over." 'Queen's Knight? What are you doing here?'

"Um… I live here, in your mind, duh."

'Oh, oh yeah. Hey, I have a question to ask you.'

"Yeah?"

'I was wondering, do you have a name? I mean, Queen's Knight is nice and all, but it's more like a title.'

"Of course I do. Call me Kia."

'Kia? I like it. Alright Kia. Wait, what happened to your armor?' Bann just realized that instead of her usual red armor, Kia was wearing a red dress.

"It's battle armor. We aren't in a battle. You didn't expect me to wear that armor all the time, did you?"

'Oh, oh yeah.'

"ARGHHHH!"

"What the hell? Zakei!" Bann jumped up and ran into the forest, following the scream. Kia followed him.

There, at the edge of a clearing, Zakei was locked in a duel with… well it wasn't a N00b. Could he be facing a Reckah?

"Zakei. What's going on?"

"This guy ambushed me and forced me into a duel. Don't worry, I can handle it."

On Zakei's side of the field, he had both Pikeru and Curran. He also seemed to have taken a strong hit.

'Man, why did I have to be the leader? I mean, I understand that I have the skills, but…'

"Stop right there, Anim."

"Huh?"

"You have just crossed into Reckah Territory, the last mistake you'll ever makes."

'Where is that voice coming from?'

He looked around for a second. Trotting started to approach him. A cloaked reaper on a blue fiery horse jumped out of the trees. It swung its scythe as its horse neighed and lifted its front legs into the air. Zakei jumped out of the way of the scythe, dropped his wood, and ran.

Whatever attacked him hadn't given up. It was chasing him through the trees. Zakei continued to run until he tripped over a rock and landed in a clearing. The reaper appeared out of the trees soon after, ready to strike.

"Pikeru, attack!"

The little white magician jumped out of nowhere and shot a blast of energy at the attacker, but the shot went right through! Instead, it hit a man, walking out of the trees.

"Heh heh. You won't survive this duel."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Gensin the Reckah, your executioner. Reaper on the Nightmare, attack him."

The Reaper lifted his scythe again and rode toward Zakei. He was so fast that he dodged Pikeru and struck Zakei directly.

"ARGHHHH!"

Blood shot out of Zakei's wound. He hit the ground hard.

"What the hell?"

Pikeru walked over to Zakei and healed the wound he just received.

"Thanks Pikeru. Now I summon Ebon Magician Curran."

Curran appeared next to her older sister. She wore black with bunny ears.

At that moment, Bann ran out of the forest to find Zakei and the Reckah named Gensin locked in a duel.

"Zakei. What's going on?"

"This guy ambushed me and forced me into a duel. Don't worry, I can handle it. Pikeru, Curran, attack the Reaper with Double Magic Vortex!"

Curran and Pikeru crossed their staffs and shot a wave of White and Black Magic. It shot right through the Reaper and struck Gensin, who staggered a bit from the attack.

"Your turn, Gensin."

"Ha, well that was just a test of your strength. Your reputation is well known here, Zakei of the Bashers! My move! HA HA HA!"

"What's so funny?"

"This." Gensin lifted a strange greenish stone. It glowed as he lifted it into the air. His eyes turned red and the hair covering his forehead parted to reveal a glowing green circle with a hexagram in the middle. "Your soul is mine. I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!"

The same green circle with the hexagram in the middle appeared at Gensin's feet. The circle spread out and covered the clearing.

"What the hell is this?" Bann asked.

"This is the Seal of Orichalcos, the ultimate power of my people!" Gensin cackled again as the Seal appeared on the forehead of the Reaper and his eyes began to glow red as well. "Now I shall finish you! I activate Double Attack. I send the power of Dark Necrofear to my Reaper. Also, I activate the power of Attack Recoil. This powers up all direct attacks! Now, Reaper on the Nightmare, finish him!"

Reaper attacked again, running passed both Magicians and striking Zakei twice.

"AHHHHH!" Zakei screamed as more blood shot out of his body and he hit the ground again.

"Now, take his soul!"

"Zakei!" Bann ran to help his fallen friend, but was pushed back when he touched the Seal. "What the hell!"

"Heh heh. Did I forget to mention? The Seal keeps all who duel within it, within it and all those outside of it, outside of it. Nothing interrupts a duel until its over, and when it's over, the loser forfeits his soul to the beast!"

"What?"

"All will be explained in time, but now, I have a soul to capture."

"Well… you aren't getting mine…"

"What!"

"I still have some fight left in me."

"Not for very long, I can assure you."

Next time on City of Fire: Zakei's Wisdom


	29. Zakei's Wisdom

Chapter 29: Zakei's Wisdom

Zakei slowly got up from the ground. "I'm far from finished."

'Damn. I better protect myself.' "Two Spells."

"My turn. Before I do anything, Pikeru and Curran activate their special abilities!"

Both little magicians lifted their staffs. Pikeru sent a wave of light at Zakei, surrounding his body and recovering some of his life. Curran then shot a blast of dark energy at Gensin, depleting some of his health.

"Now, I offer Pikeru as a Tribute to summon Dark Magician Girl, but I'm not done. Time to finish you. My next spell is Magical Dimension!"

Curran vanished from the field. In her place, a large locked sarcophagus appeared, covered in chains and encased in glass.

"No… no one could get out of that thing."

"Nobody but the greatest sorcerer to ever live."

Dark Magician Girl displayed the case like an assistant. Smoke filled the chamber.

"Ta daa!"

The smoke vanished and Dark Magician stood in the chamber. The glass walls fell down. Dark Magician lifted his staff, spun it around and shot a blast of energy at the Reaper, destroying him.

"Wha… what!"

"After using Magical Dimension, I can destroy any monster on the field. Your Reaper was an easy target. Also, thanks to your own spell, when my Dark Magicians attack, I'm gonna deal quite the damage from the Attack Recoil."

"No…"

"Yes. Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, double strike his soul with Dark Magic and Dark Burning Attacks!"

The Magicians' lifted their staffs into the air and started to create a large ball of magical energy.

"No, I won't lose to you! Activate trap!"

"What!"

"I summon the Dead Dragon Zoma!"

A zombified dragon rose up from the ground.

"I end my attack! I know what that Dragon does. You won't be able to use it on me if I don't attack."

"Look again."

"Huh?" Zakei looked around. His face suddenly filled with horror. "No…"

"Yes!"

Dark Magician was still continuing his attack.

"Bu… but how?"

"My second trap, an Invitation of Earth Spirits! It forces your Dark Magician to attack my Dragon!"

Dark Magician unleashed his attack, striking Zoma, who absorbed the magic. Zoma then unleashed his own attack, striking Zakei with the same power as Dark Magician. Afterward, the Dragon disappeared.

"Uh… I… still can… attack with Dark Magician Girl!"

Dark Magician Girl used her Dark Burning Attack, striking Gensin who laughed after he hit the ground.

"What's so funny?"

"You. You are no match for my power. You are already on your last legs. That attack was nothing to the damage you've sustained. My turn, Zakei," he said, still lying in the dirt. "I summon Jowgen the Spiritualist! Then, I activate his special ability, immediately destroying your Dark Magician. I told you that you were no match for me. I cast a Spell. Your turn. Make it a good one."

"Damn it." 'Without Dark Magician, I'm in a bind. I can't bring him back and I have very little life.' "I summon Silent Magician."

A small magician wearing white robes appeared.

"HA! You send that to fight! You truly are pathetic!"

"Better than Jowgen. Silent Magician, attack!"

Silent Magician shot Jowgen.

"Idiot! I wouldn't use Jowgen unless I knew to protect him. Activate Ghost Shield!"

A shield of spirits surrounded Jowgen and Gensin. Spirit Reaper was shot with the blast, exploding and surrounding Zakei's side of the field in darkness.

"What the hell?"

"My ghost shield not only stops your attack, but it blinds you for the rest of the turn, so you and your Cree won't know where to attack. It's pointless for your Dark Magician Girl to strike what she can't see."

"You coward. I cast two spells. Go ahead."

The black cloud dispersed.

"Ha! Now, I sacrifice Jowgen to summon the Earl of Dark Demise. Also, I activate Monster Reincarnation, trading the soul of my Headless Knight to bring back my Dark Necrofear. Then, I cast two spells and end my turn. Go ahead."

'His Earl is stronger than my Dark Magician Girl. He must have been wary of my traps. Sucks for him. He could have ended this duel.' "My turn. I activate my two traps, Pitch-Black Power Stone and Miracle Restoring."

"What? That means you were bluffing!"

"Yeah, and you fell for it. Now I summon Dark Magician back to the field and use the last counter in my stone to power up Silent Magician. Now, I sacrifice Dark Magician to summon Dark Executioner."

A wizard in extravagant robes replaced Dark Magician. He wielded a large staff and wore armor like Dark Magician's. I plan to burn your life down to nothing. I activate Magical Blast!"

Silent Magician and Dark Executioner lifted their staffs, forming a ball of magical energy even larger than the one Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl made. It broke through the Seal and sailed across the clearing, hitting Gensin.

"You… you bastard. My turn, and I will make sure I take out one of your two Magicians. Earl of Dark Demise, attack Dark Executioner!"

Earl of Dark Demise struck the sorcerer. Both of them, with equal attack, were destroyed, but Gensin has planned this. He activated both his traps, Revival Ouija and Mirror Ouija. The combo brought the Earl of Dark Demise back to the field with even more power. The Seal crowned the fiend's forehead.

"Ha ha ha ha! Die, Zakei! Earl of Dark Demise, attack from the grave!"

Because he had just been revived, the Earl of Dark Demise was able to attack again. The power of the Seal and Gensin's own abilities made it much stronger than Silent Magician, who was crushed.

"Zakei! Oh man, get up!"

'Shit… Shit! Shit! Shit! What the hell? I tried. This guy is too much for me. Every move I've made, he's countered. My best monsters are gone. Even if I could attack, he'd just deflect it with that damn Ghost Shield.'

"Come on Zakei. Don't give up this easily."

'Huh? Who's there?'

"I only left you a few moments ago. You've forgotten me already?"

Zakei was finally able to see who was calling to him.

'Da… Dark Magician Girl! Wow, what a babe… uh… um. What I mean is… crap, you can read my thoughts, can't you.'

Dark Magician Girl giggled.

'Wait, I remember now. That night on the tower, I was able to talk to you then. Dark Magician was there too, and Pikeru.'

"Yeah, your memories were fragmented during the battle with Judis. So was everyone else's. Listen, you can still win, but not with us. Trust me, I know you will find a way."

'I… I trust you.' "Huh?" Zakei looked around. His vision had cleared up and he was now standing.

"How! How can you stand up? The Seal should have taken your soul by now!"

"Maybe this almighty Seal doesn't want my soul. Maybe it wants yours."

"Shut up! I swear that my next move will kill you."

"I'll get back to you on that. My turn!" 'Huh? What the hell is this thing? I don't run dragons.'

"You did it!"

'Did what?'

"This is your chance, Zakei. Use this Dragon."

'I don't even know what the hell it is or what it does.'

"You said you trusted me. You will know everything you need once you summon him."

Zakei stared at Dark Magician Girl for a second. 'Alright.' "I summon… the Fang of Critias!"

"What? Not him! No!"

Gensin knew he was about to lose. Nothing in his power could withstand the force of the Legendary Dragons. He ran toward the edge of the Seal, but was thrown back.

"Looks like you're the one who's trapped now. Critias, fuse with Magic Cylinder!"

Critias fused with Zakei's spell, transforming into Magic Reflector Dragon.

"Now, Magic Reflector Dragon, attack Earl of Dark Demise!"

"I use the power of my Ghost Shield, protecting myself with Nightmare Horse."

"Bad move. First of all, my Magic Reflector Dragon can't be stopped. Also, whenever you remove monsters from play, my dragon launches them at your soul for damage!"

Nightmare Horse appeared to protect Gensin, but was absorbed by Magic Reflector Dragon, who launched a direct attack of blue flames at Gensin.

"Now, finish him!"

The Dragon shot an attack at Earl of Dark Demise. The fiend countered, but his attack was absorbed by the Dragon, who launched it back at Earl of Dark Demise and Gensin.

"You're lucky. You have just a little bit of life left. Now, call this duel off."

"Ii… it can't be called off. Once the Seal is active, it remains so until it takes a soul. No… nothing will break it."

"Then… I am sorry."

"You're the one who should be sorry! I summon Earl of Dark Demise, Headless Knight, and Earthbound Spirits from play to Special Summon Dark Necrofear! Dark Necrofear, atta…"

"You lose!"

"What?"

"You forgot my Dragon's effect! When you remove monsters from play, you take damage!"

Magic Reflector Dragon absorbed all three monsters in and shot a blast of blue fire at Gensin. The Seal began to shrink around Gensin as he burned in the blue flames. A greenish light shot down from the sky absorbing Gensin's soul and the Seal. Gensin's lifeless body hit the ground, charred and motionless.

Zakei dropped to his knees. 'Oh man…' he thought.

"Hey, Zakei. You sustained quite a bit of damage. Here, lemme help you back to… no way."

"What?"

"Your wounds. You have none. It's like whatever happened in the Seal… has no effect on the outside world. Only the wound you received before the Seal was activated is still there."

Zakei got up. Bann was right. Zakei didn't feel weak at all, like was the case with other duels.

"What the hell is up with that Seal?"

"No clue, but we'll discuss that later. We better get back."

Next time on City of Fire: Ancient Conquest


	30. Ancient Struggle

Episode 30: Ancient Struggle

Morning broke. Zakei quickly got everyone up. It was time to move out. He and Bann had not yet told the others what had happened during the night. They decided to wait until they hit the road and discuss it during lunch.

"Yawn…" Jesi finally woke up after several budges from Recks.

Tiamat was already gathering the supplies and Vaila was helping. All that was left was Migome, who refused to get up until the sun was a nice yellow color. After five minutes of persuasion, he finally got her up. Zakei wasn't pleased that they were five minutes behind schedule and said that the five minutes would be taken out of lunchtime and sleep that night. He was a very stern leader.

Six hours later, they were still hiking, but now, the hills were gone, replaced by rocky mountainous areas.

"Keep on your guard everyone," Zakei warned. He knew that they were deep into Reckah territory now and they could be ambushed at any moment. Also, he was afraid that one of them might end up sealed within the Orichalcos.

Shortly after, Dark Magician Girl appeared by his side.

'Hey… um… Dark Magician Girl.'

"Did you forget my name?"

'Actually, the problem is, I don't really know your name, unless Dark Magician Girl is it.'

"Oh, I see. Well… you can call me Kanya if you like."

'Kanya? Okay. Hey wait, won't the others think it's weird that you are walking beside me?'

"None of them can see me, well with the exception of Bann."

"Huh?" Zakei looked back at Bann. Then he rubbed his eyes and saw strange girl next to him. 'Who the hell?'

"That's Kia, or as you know her, Queen's Knight."

'That's Queen's Knight! What happened to her armor?'

"She doesn't where it all the time. Look."

Dark Magician Girl lifted her staff and twirled it in the air. Zakei looked up at the twirling staff that was twirled like a baton. When he looked back down at Kanya, her clothes had changed. She now wore a hiking outfit.

'What the?' "Um… Bann!"

Bann walked over to Zakei. "What is it… why is Dark Magician Girl wearing… oh, never mind."

"She says her name is Kanya and that her name is Ki…"

"Kia, I know. It's weird but I think as we got stronger, developing our powers more, at some point our Cree started to take on personalities based off of our own traits. It's sort of a strange schizophrenia, but we aren't crazy."

"Well, as long as you can see here too, then I won't… you know."

"Okay. Hey, how about we stop for lunch. I think it's time we told the others about the Seal."

"You're right." Zakei turned to the others and shouted, "Hey, we're gonna stop for lunch now. Also, Bann and I have something important to tell you."

"Dammit. Where the hell is it? If I don't find it soon, he'll… he might… no, I must find it. Where is that stone? I must have dropped it around… what was that?"

The mysterious figure crept around the bush to find seven Anims sitting around a stone basin, eating their lunch and discussing something important.

'So, those must be the Anims who beat Gensin last night. They don't look so strong. I'm sure I can take one of the weaker ones without the stone. I'll ambush them. Once I win without the stone, I won't be in trouble. Alright.'

"So, what you're saying is that this Seal has the power to take peoples' souls?" asked Jesi.

"Yeah, and not only that, it gives and advantage to whoever uses it. The Reckah's powers were all increased, including those of his monsters," Zakei answered.

"So, we better be careful. Without Legendary Dragons, we don't stand much of a chance against this Seal," said Migome.

"Yeah…" Bann started.

"So you guys both got one. I'm sure we will get them too," Tiamat said cheerfully.

"No. I spoke to King Archer about the Dragons. Only three exist. That means if one of us is to get it, then the others won't," Bann told the others.

"Then we'll just have to be careful, but don't think that just because you have a Dragon, that you two are immortal," Vaila pointed out.

About and hour later, they were all walking again up the slopes of the mountainside. Everything was peaceful. Bann had been having an uneasy feeling. If they had been ambushed last night, why hadn't they been attacked yet? They were an easy target. Were they being allowed into the area so they could be taken by some plan? Were the Reckah afraid because they knew one of there own was defeated?

As if to answer his questions, in the distance, three birds started to fly toward them.

'Strange. I've never seen birds like…' "Everybody get down!"

The Bashers all hit the ground as three women with wings began to fly overhead and attack the seven.

"Enough of this. Timaeus attack!"

Timaeus flew down from the mountains and attacked the harpies in a teal blur.

"Bann, what the hell are you thinking? Don't you have any respect for women?"

"Shut up Zakei. Try helping."

"Fi…fine. Critias, help Timaeus."

The second dragon appeared, flying down to help his comrade. The two managed to drive off the Harpies.

"What the hell? Harpies? Do they exist in the mountains?"

"I doubt it. I'm guessing that those were Cree. Something is up there. That was a warning."

"Then I say we go meet this guy."

"Huh? Vaila, what are you saying?"

"If he wants to warn us, then that means he is frightened and is driving us off so he doesn't have to fight. You beat one of their own. You have two Legendary Dragons. This guy doesn't want to mess with you."

"Good point. We have to continue anyway. Let's go."

They continued on the path.

'So, they didn't listen to my warning, huh? Well, then I'm just going to have to kill one of them.'

The mysterious man ran off again, finding a place to cut them off.

"Stop."

"Why?"

"He's here. Whoever sent those harpies on is hiding right here."

"How do you know, Vaila?"

"She's a master tactician. There has to be some strategical reason to hide here."

"Nope, I can see his hair sticking out from that rock."

"I guess my hiding place wasn't so good, after all. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is…"

"Can it. I don't care what your name is."

"Well, you aren't very nice. Like I was saying, my name is Tarvis."

"Vaila, let me handle this. If he has the Seal, then…"

"No, you had your shots. Besides, he doesn't have the Seal."

"Oh, and what makes you say that, my dear?"

"Why would you go to all this trouble to make us go a different way and hide yourself? If you had the Seal, you would be more confident and have met us in the open. Bann, I'm taking this one. Sit back and enjoy the show."

"Fine, go ahead."

"You're gonna wish you never said that. In fact, I do have the Seal. I… just won't use it. I can beat you without it."

"Yeah, sure. Duel!"

"Duel!"

"I'll start. I summon Ancient Gear Soldier. Then I cast one Spell and end my turn."

"Alright, then its my move. I summon Harpie Lady 1."

"I know about your Harpies. They are equal attack to my Gear Soldier. You attack and they both go down."

"That's what you think."

"Huh?"

"This version of Harpie Lady has a special ability. All my Wind Monsters gain additional attack, and since Harpie Lady is a Wind Monster herself, her own attack increases!"

"Oh crap. Vaila, do something!"

'I can't. My trap wasn't made for protecting me.'

"Now, attack Ancient Gear Soldier!"

Harpie Lady flew down to the field and struck the mechanical soldier. The strange, geared mech broke into a pile of metal and vanished. Vaila took damage from the attack, grabbing her chest as she coughed.

"Very good. You managed to deal some damage to me, but you've activated my Trap!"

"What?"

"I activate Damage Condenser!"

A strange pod appeared on the field. The damage Vaila suffered was transferred to the pod, which was struck with electricity. The pod exploded, revealing a small robot.

"I Special Summoned Ancient Gear from my Creepool, and since I have another Ancient Gear in my mind, I can Special Summon that too."

A second Ancient Gear appeared on the field.

'She has two weak monsters now. What could she be planning?' "I cast one Spell. End turn."

"My turn, and I sacrifice both my Ancient Gears to Special Summon Ancient Gear Golem!"

The Ancient Gear vanished. The earth behind Vaila began to shake as an enormous golem machine rose from the ground.

"Now that is a monster," Jesi said.

"He… hey Vaila, you aren't really thinking of attacking that Harpie, are you?" Zakei yelled at her.

"Zakei, shut up! Now, Ancient Gear Golem, attack!"

"I activ…"

"You can't activate anything when my Gear Golem attacks!"

"Uh…"

"Ultimate Pound!"

Ancient Gear Golem unleashed its huge fist on Harpie Lady, pushing her right into Tarvis, who went flying and hit the ground.

"You bitch. That hurt."

"I told you that you weren't a match for me."

"We'll see, especially after my next turn."

"I cast a Spell. Yes, we will see."

"I activate Monster Reborn. This Special Summons my Harpie Lady back to the field. Also, I activate Elegant Egotist, multiplying my Harpie into three."

Two new Harpies appeared on the field next to Harpie Lady.

"Yes! More Harpies!"

"SHUT UP!" the Bashers all yelled at Zakei.

"Before I finish my move, I'll set a trap, not that it will matter. I activate Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!"

"What?"

The Harpies formed up. Blue flames surrounded them, taking the shape of a phoenix. The blue phoenix flew at Ancient Gear Golem, incinerating his metal body. Then the flames engulfed the ashes and got stronger, burning Vaila with its intense heat.

"AHHHH!" Vaila screamed as the Phoenix continued to surround her like an inferno. She fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

"Heh ha ha ha ha ha ha! I told you that you weren't a match for my harpies. Give up and let the big boys play."

"Screw… you…" Vaila said weakly. Her clothes were charred from the flames. She slowly rose to her feet. "Is that all, because I really would like to start my turn."

"Fine, go."

"I cast two spells. Then I activate Swords of Revealing Light." 'I have nothing to really protect me. Hopefully my Swords will buy me some time to come up with a plan.' "Go."

"Your Swords aren't going to help you at all. I activate Harpie's Feather Duster!"

The Harpies flew into the air, flapping their wings and blowing away the Swords of Light. Two statues appeared on Vaila's side of the field and they too broke.

"You activated my traps, destroying my Statues of the Wicked. Now I can Special Summon two Wicked Tokens to defend me."

"Like it'll do you any good. I activate Nightmare Tri-Mirror, Special Summoning more Harpie Ladies."

A mirror appeared before Tarvis, reflecting the image of the two Wicked Tokens. The reflections transformed into two Harpie Ladies who flew out of the Mirror.

"They can't attack this turn, but my other Harpies can! Harpie Lady 2 and 3, destroy the Wicked Tokens. Then Harpie Lady 1, attack directly!

The two Harpies struck the Wicked Tokens, destroying them. Then the last Harpie attacked Vaila, throwing her back again. Blood stained her clothes from the scratch marks.

"I think that's it. Would you like to throw in the towel now?"

"No…"

"Fine, that was your last chance. Next turn, I will strike you down will all my Harpies. I cast a Spell and end my turn."

'Ah, here's something promising.' "You might want to rethink that. I activate Cost Down. Then I Summon Ancient Gear Beast."

A mechanical lion-like machine jumped out of the bushes and landed in front of Vaila. He bared his teeth and howled.

"Then, I activate Ancient Gear Castle. This fortress gives my Gear Beast even more attack."

The huge fortress rose from the ground behind Vaila.

"Now, attack with Vicious Fang!"

Ancient Gear Beast lashed out at one of the Harpies.

"Not so fast. Activate Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation."

Once again, the Harpies formed up. Orange flames surrounded them this time. The flames caused Ancient Gear Beast to stop in its tracks. The orange phoenix flew at Ancient Gear Beast, who narrowly jumped out of the way and avoided the attack. The phoenix then flew beside Tarvis. The flames dispersed and the Harpie Ladies landed back on the ground.

"O… kay… how did you activate that?"

"My Sparrow Formation is a special trap. Nothing can negate its activation. I've saved my Harpies from being harmed once again."

'Great. How am I going to get past all these strong spells? Time to go on the defensive again.' "I cast two spells. Your move."

"I offer the two Harpie Lady Clones as a tribute, summoning Harpie's Pet Dragon! Then I activate another Elogant Egotist, summoning the Harpie Lady Sisters."

The gigantic red dragon flew down from the mountain. At the same time, one of the Harpies split in three again. With five Harpies on the field, Harpie's Pet Dragon got a serious boost of power, added on to the fact that it got more attack strength from Harpie Lady 1.

"Time to lose, Vaila. I warned you. Harpie's Pet Dragon, attack Ancient Gear Beast."

The Dragon opened its mouth to unleash a fire ball.

"Not so fast. I activate Ordeal of Traveler. Now you get to see some things in my mind. If you can guess what they are, you get to attack, but if you get it wrong… What am I thinking?"

"You… a monster. You are thinking of a monster."

"Wrong, a Spell!" Vaila answered, revealing her Ancient Gear Drill.

"Damn."

"Say goodbye to your Pet Dragon."

Harpie's Pet Dragon vanished from the field.

"My turn, I believe."

"Just let me set a Spell and switch my Harpies to Defense Position."

"Woot! No Harpies destroyed!

"Zakei, I swear if you don't shut up, once I beat this guy, I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Uh… sorry."

"Heh, this will do. I activate Ancient Gear Factory."

A gigantic assembly line rose up next to the Ancient Gear Fortress.

"Now, I remove Ancient Gear Golem, Ancient Gear Soldier, and two Ancient Gears from play…"

Spare parts from these four monsters started to be placed on the conveyer belt, loading them into the chamber. Stars lit up on the top of the assembly line. The gears began to turn and steam shot out of the chamber.

"…to summon another Ancient Gear Golem."

Finally the chamber opened to reveal a new Ancient Gear Golem, hot out of the factory.

"Now, I activate Ancient Gear Drill. This allows me to set a Spell from my Creepool. Now, it's time to end this. I activate Battle Advance. Let me explain. Battle Advance allows up both to activate one Spell that we've either set on the field or is in our minds. Then, we can each choose one monster on the field and have it attack directly."

"Ha, well, I didn't realize you were so stupid. I activate Triangle Ecstasy Spark. This powers up my Harpie Lady Sisters. Now attack directly!"

The Harpie Lady Sisters formed a triangle and shot a wave of energy at Vaila, who hit the ground.

"You lose."

"Nope… I have some life left in me. If you had used the Seal, you probably would have won, too. Now for my move, I activate my set Limiter Removal, doubling my Ancient Gear Golem's attack. Now attack directly!"

Ancient Gear Golem lifted its fist and hit Tarvis. The Harpies flew out of the way of the attack as Tarvis fell backwards off the edge of the cliff.

"I think I won," Vaila said and passed out where she lay.

"Whe…where am I?"

"You failed me… Tarvis," said a robed man, whose back was turned, watching a pool of water.

"Master! Oh master, I'm sorry. The Orichalcos Stone, it…"

"It knew you were unworthy… so it left you. You really disappoint me. You couldn't even take out one of them."

"Please, my lord. Give me another chance. If I had used the Seal, I know I could have beaten her!"

"You rely too much on the Seal's power. It is not a tool for your own benefit. You disgust me."

"No, no my lord. I swear I would have won."

"Perhaps you would have, but you didn't. Do you know why you are still alive?"

"Uh… no."

"Because I revived you. Can't let a good soul go to waste, can we?"

"Nah… no! Anything but that! NO!" Tavis screamed.

A flash of green light covered the walls of the chamber and Tarvis hit the ground, silent. The cloaked man continued to watch the reflecting pool.

"Get that filth out of here. Throw him into the pit."

"Yes, master."

"Garu."

"Yes, master?"

"I want you to watch those Anims very closely. From what Dismay tells us, they are quite strong. Also, keep a watch on Dismay. I don't trust him, either."

"Yes, master. Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

"Yes. Send Drake to duel the one with the dragons."

"Yes, Lord Darsus."

Next time on City of Fire: The Last Miracle

Tiamat duels a


	31. The Last Miracle

Episode 31: The Last Miracle

"So that's him, huh? Geez, wasting my power on an Anim? What's the master thinking?"

"That's what Lord Darsus said. Obey his orders, Drake, if you know what's good for you."

"Geez, you're a spoil sport, you know that Garu? Fine, I'll take care of him."

"You better. Oh, and remember, Lord Darsus wants his soul, so…"

"I know, Garu. I've got everything I need right here," Drake said as he lifted a small, fashioned, green stone attached to a chain that hung around his neck. "You'll have that soul by nightfall."

"You better deliver, Drake, or I'll be after your soul. I'll be watching," the mysterious Garu told Drake as he turned and disappeared through the brush.

'That bastard. After I finish this Tiamat, I'll be the one who takes your soul.'

"Vaila, how are feeling?" Bann asked as Vaila began to stir from her sleep.

"Much better now. I think overdid it. I didn't pay enough attention to how much life I had left when I used the Battle Advance."

Zakei walked into the cave where they were resting.

"Good, you're awake. Thought we lost you."

Migome, who was tending to Vaila's wounds, looked up at Zakei and frowned.

"Tiamat is standing watch. If you're feeling well tomorrow, we'll be moving out in the morning."

"Hey!" Migome yelled at Zakei. "She was just in a fierce duel. You have to give her more time to heal than that."

The cave went silent for a while.

Finally Zakei spoke, "I'm sorry. I'm not a very good leader. I just…" but he didn't finish. Instead, he turned and walked out the cave.

An explosion outside soon broke another awkward silence among Bann, Vaila, and Migome.

"What the hell? Migome, stay here. I'm going to see what's happening."

Bann ran out the cave, stopping as he saw Jesi and Zakei both hit by a huge dragon in the sky. Critias, Armed Dragon, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon were trying to fight it, but losing badly. Recks was already on the ground, as Black Tyranno vanished.

"What's going on?"

"Don't just stand there, help us!" Zakei yelled as he got back to his feet.

"Right. I summon Timaeus!"

Timaeus, Dragon of Time appeared to help the other three dragons. However, even it wasn't strong enough to destroy the dragon. It dragon's tough armor deflected all attacks.

"Ha ha ha ha ha. Bolgree Dragon, destroy them all!" yelled an approaching voice.

Cannons on the dragon's back and arms began to charge. Bolgree Dragon started to form a fireball in his mouth. Finally, he launched his assault at Blue-Eyes, Timaeus, and Critias. Bann hit the ground and Jesi and Zakei flew against the mountainside again. Only Tiamat still stood.

The laughing man finally walked out of the trees.

"Now that the interference is out of the way, I can duel you, Tiamat. My master wants your soul in tact so it can be fed to the beast."

"The beast?"

"I honestly think that it would be better just to kill you now, but I have orders."

"Who the hell are you? If it's a duel you want, I accept."

"Good. You can call me Drake, and judging from your performance just now, I have serious doubts that you can beat me. Let's start with a test, shall we?"

Armed Dragon and Bolgree Dragon vanished.

"I'll start. I summon Dragon Human. Then, I will give him the dragon's aura of Dragonic Attack."

A blue aura surrounded the horned man. He lifted his fist. The swirling winds took the shape of a dragon and roared.

"That's for my turn."

'Is this a joke? That thing is… weak. And with no protection, he's just dying to have it beaten. Is he just putting on a show?' "You wanna lose, fine with me. I cast a spell. Then I summon Armed Dragon and activate Level Up! Now, Armed Dragon, attack Dragon Human. Armed Punisher!"

Armed Dragon ran at Dragon Human, striking him with a massive fist.

"Well, I see you aren't so bad after all, summoning a strong monster like that on your first turn."

"Yeah, and he's about to get a whole lot stronger. Armed Dragon, Level Up again!"

Armed Dragon changed again, growing larger. His spikes turning into blades, and more grew out of his tough hide.

"Excuse me if I'm not impressed. I summon Bolzarius Dragon. When he's the only monster on my side of the field, his attack doubles! Now, attack Armed Dragon!"

"Not fast. I activate Tyrant Wings!"

Large glowing wings sprouted from Armed Dragons back. He lifted into the air and opened his mouth, unleashing a green fireball that incinerated Bolzarius Dragon and inflicting more damage to Drake.

'Damn, that monster much stronger than the last. I still beat it but… what's up with this guy?'

"Well, my suspicions were wrong. It seems you are a lot stronger than I thought. I'll give you that. But you still are no match for me."

"That coming from a guy with no protection, staring down an empowered dragon with the ability to attack twice is funny. Allow me to laugh. Heh heh heh heh heh."

"We'll see who gets the last laugh. Meanwhile, I cast two Spells. Go."

"Armed Tyrant Dragon, attack directly with Ultimate Armed Cannon!"

Armed Tyrant Dragon rose into the air again, opening its mouth and charging up a gigantic green fireball.

"Not so fast. I activate Dragon Calling! This allows me to Special Summon a weaker dragon, so I summon Bolstar Dragon! And don't forget his special ability, increasing his attack even further!"

"So? His attack is still weaker than Armed Tyrant Dragon's. Destroy that thing with your Ultimate Armed Cannon!"

Armed Tyrant Dragon unleashed two green fireballs from its mouth. The first hit Bolstar Dragon and the second… hit Bolstar Dragon?

"What the hell? That thing shoulda been barbequed!"

"My armored dragons are far superior to your run-of-the-mill dragons. Their tough armored hides protect them from any attacks from dragons. That's why I was sent to battle you. You can't destroy my dragons."

"Oh yeah? Then I'll just have to try the Genocide Cutter." 'No! Oh man, I can't use it!"

"Something wrong? What happened to this special attack you were just talking about?"

'I can't use the Genocide Cutter. I have nothing to feed Armed Dragon with, and if I can't use it, how can I beat that thing?'

"Can't do anything? Then I guess it's my turn… and I think I'll start it with this!"

Drake ripped off the chain he wore around his neck. At the end glowed a green gem, which he flung into the air. A large circle appeared in the air spinning as it surrounded Tiamat and Drake. The circle stopped spinning and a large hexagram shaped appeared in the circle. The same symbol appeared on Drake's forehead and his eyes turned red. The same happened to his dragon.

"Welcome to your doom. I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!"

"No…"

"This powers up my armored dragon, giving him just enough attack to overtake your Armed Tyrant Dragon. Now, attack him!"

The Armored Dragon, Bolstar flew into the air to meet his opponent. Both dragons launched their attacks, ending in an explosive finale as the two met. When the smoke cleared, Bolstar flew overhead and Armed Tyrant Dragon fell to the ground, engulfed in red flames.

"Do you see it? The power that Orichalcos grants? It's overwhelming."

'The power his dragons possess. He truly knows how to use the Orichalcos' magic to its maximum power.' "I activate Call of the Haunted, Special Summoning Armed Dragon back to the field. He's slightly weaker than the last one you faced, but he'll do fine. Then I activate my second young dragon, Red-Eyes Black Chick, who I now age into the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

A small dragon hatchling appeared on the field. I coughed up a small black flame. Then it transformed, aging into its much older and stronger form.

'I can't destroy that thing, but at least I can put up a defense for the moment.' "I'll cast a Spell."

"That pathetic defense won't help you. I activate Polymerization, fusing Lord of Dragons and Divine Dragon Ragnarok to summon Lord Dragun. Using his special ability, I can now Special Summon Bolmeteus Steel Dragon. Then, I summon Bolfye Dragon."

Lord Dragun appeared on the field, wielding the Flute of Summoning Dragon. He had a human head and torso, but his lower body was that of a dragon's. He lifted the flute to his lips and blew, calling Bolmeteus to the field, a blue, heavily armored dragon standing on all four legs. Finally, Bolfye Dragon, a small dragonoid stepped onto the field next to the others.

"Now, I activate Bolfye's effect, sacrificing two Fire monsters, Bolmeteus Steel Dragon and Bolstar Dragon, to summon an Armored Dragon from my Creepool."

Bolmeteus and Bolstar vanished. In their place, the same huge dragon that took out Blue-Eyes, Timaeus, and Critias in one shot flew overhead. It bent back its head and let out a mighty roar.

"Bolgree Dragon of the Sun, attack Armed Dragon with Solar Wind Crusher!"

Bolgree Dragon charged up the cannons on its right and left arms, unleashing its attack on Armed Dragon, who didn't stand a chance. Because it was in defense, Tiamat took no damage. Bolgree then proceeded to charge up the attack from its mouth.

"Not so fast. Red-Eyes, counterattack with Burst Breath."

Red-Eyes flew into the air, unleashing its own attack on Drake's monsters. Bolfye Dragon and Lord Dragun both vanished in the flames but Bolgree still flew above, charging its Solar Wind Crusher.

"No more defense. Attack!"

Bolgree shot the attack from its mouth and immediately began to charge the cannons on its back. His first attack hit Tiamat, throwing him onto the walls of the Seal. The second attack struck doing the same, leaving Tiamat a charred mess on the floor. The flames were still burning him when he got up.

"You survived, but I can tell that you have very little life left. This will all be over soon. Then your soul will be sent to Lord Darsus."

"Who?"

"Oh, excuse my manners. My master, Lord Darsus, he is an amazing man. In fact, it was he who gave me the incredible power you see before you. Of course, in return for this power, he wants us to gather as many souls as we can so we can feed the beast."

"That's enough Drake."

"What? His friends are all unconscious. His soul will be gone soon. He can't tell anyone. Leave me be, Garu. I promised you this soul by nightfall, and I will deliver."

"You better, because you have only five minutes before the sun drops beneath the horizon. Then I can kill you, just like you wanted to do to me."

Drake's eyes widened as he turned in shock toward Garu. "How… how did you?"

"How did I what? Know? Don't take me for a fool, Drake. I knew exactly what you were thinking up on the rock. The Orichalcos works wonders, allowing me to peer into your heart. Don't worry, if you survive, I will bring both your soul and his back to Lord Darsus, but if you lose, I will make sure you don't have a body for your soul to come back to."

A look of complete terror appeared on Drake's face. He turned back toward Tiamat.

"Tough break."

"Shut the fuck up! I will beat you! And then I will beat you! You have only a little bit of life left. Make your last fucking move!"

"I activate Level Tuning. This allows me to Special Summon my Armed Dragon back to the field. Then I summon my last young dragon, Baby Dragon."

A small, orange dragon popped up next to Armed Dragon, looking completely out of place amongst the dragon behemoths.

"But I'm done yet. I activate Time Warp!"

A bubble surrounded Baby Dragon and Bolgree Dragon, aging both a thousand years. Since Baby Dragon was just a child, it survived, becoming a fully-grown Thousand Dragon. However, Bolgree Dragon aged and died, fossilizing and breaking apart.

"Now that your Dragon is out of the way, my Thousand Dragon is free to attack you directly."

"I activate Soul Rope, giving up some of my life to Special Summon a weak monster from my Creepool! Go, Bolcin Dragon!"

The dragonoid flew down to protect Drake from the attack. Tiamat called off the attack, since both monsters attacks were equal.

"I'll cast a Spell. Go ahead, Drake."

"I think I will. Time to end this. I think it's time to let you in on Bolcin's ability. Since he is an armored dragon, he won't be destroyed when he attacks your Thousand Dragon, but your dragon will. And when Bolcin destroys him, he will take a large chunk out of your life, the last chunk. Bolcin, take that dragon out!"

"I activate Hallowed Life Barrier!"

Bolcin struck Thousand Dragon, who exploded. Pieces of the dragons melting body flew across the field, but bounced off the shield of light that now protected Tiamat.

"I cast one Spell and activate Cree Destruction. This destroys whatever Cree is in our minds and refreshes them with new Cree from our Creepool. Now, I can activate the Spell I just cast, Dragon's Mirror, fusing the Bolshack Dragon of the West that I just destroyed with the Bolstar Dragon that I got rid of, summoning AstroBolshack Dragon!"

The enormous red dragon floated high above the field.

'I… I have to beat that thing?'

"I cast a Spell and end my turn."

'I… I need to use the Genocide Cutter… It's the only way to beat that thing. No!' "I… I switch Armed Dragon to Defense… That… and a Spell… ends my turn."

"See, Garu? I've got him against the ropes. Without his precious Armed Dragon's special ability, he is no match for me!"

Garu remained silent and continued to watch. 'You're such a fool Drake. Soon you'll learn what true power is.'

"Ah hah! My AstroBolshack was only for intimidation. It's time to show you the true power of my Cree with the Master Dragon. Now, I sacrifice AstroBolshack to unleash you!"

The blue dragon stepped onto the field behind Drake. It seemed to mock Armed Dragon with its size, twice the height of Tiamat's signature dragon. The Seal appeared above its eyes, just like with the rest of the dragons, as its eyes glowed in red fury. It roared, or rather laughed, seeing what was once a strong dragon reduced to defending.

"Bolmaster Dragon, Dragon of Destruction, carry out your ultimate wrath and destroy Armed Dragon with Destruction Razor Cannon!"

Two large cannons on the dragon's back began to charge as the dragon bent down to aim. It unleashed the blast on Armed Dragon.

"I activate Armed Defense. It increases my Armed Dragon's defense by that of your Bolmaster Dragons. That means my Armed Dragon's defense is equal to your Bolmaster Dragon's attack."

"It would be, but Bolmaster's attack increases when he attacks!"

A shot hit Armed Dragon, cutting him in half. Then a third shot from Bolmaster's mouth blew up the remains.

"So much for that."

Tiamat fell to his knees. 'Shit. Without Armed Dragon, what the hell and I supposed to do? Even if I can bring him back, I haven't been able to use the Genocide Cutter once, and there is no way I can use it on that thing. I don't have anything strong enough to activate it with.'

"Tiamat, you will find a way. Look at what you have before you."

"War…" 'Warrior Dai Grepher… the night on the tower…'

Tiamat looked over his options again and smiled.

'You're right. This duel isn't over yet.' "I activate Monster Reincarnation, returning Armed Dragon to my mind. Then I activate the Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension, returning the stronger Armed Dragons back to my Creepool. Finally, I'll end my turn by summoning Armed Dragon, using Earthquake to switch him to Defense Position, but that's not all. I'm setting a trap." 'Let's just hope this plan of mine works.'

"So, you have a weakling? That won't help you. Bolmaster, attack Armed Dragon with Destruction Razor Cannon!"

Bolmaster launched his attack at Armed Dragon, but the attack was blocked!

"What?"

"Look at my dragon and yours very closely."

The little Armed Dragon now wore a heavy suit of armor, protecting him from the attack, while Bolmaster Dragon was now missing his.

"What did you do?"

"I activated my trap, Type Switch. Since and Armored Dragon can't be destroyed by a normal one, I figured I'd borrow your for a while." 'Well, that worked, but I still don't have a way to destroy that dragon.'

"Look again."

'Huh? What is this? Oh well, a new Dragon Cree might be just what I need right now, but first…' "… I'm leveling up my Armed Dragon twice, using the power of Level Up! Then I'm summoning Warrior Dai Grepher."

"Wise choice, Tiamat. I won't let you down," Dai Grepher said as he stepped onto the field."

"And I'm giving him the power to attack twice this turn with Double Attack, offering Hundred Dragon as a Tribute for the effect. Finally, I'm gonna summon this. Hermos!"

A large red dragon flew onto the field.

"That thing doesn't scare me."

'Interesting. So he has one too. Well it looks like they've all been awakened. I'd say it's been nice, Drake, but it'd be a lie,' Garu thought as he continued to watch on in great interest now.

'What? This thing has horribly weak attack!'

"Trust in your instincts. You'll know what to do with it."

'Okay, if you say so. Oh, I get it now.' "Hermos, fuse with Armed Dragon to form…"

The two dragons fused into one in a flash of light.

"… Armed Cannon Sabre!"

Warrior Dai Grepher picked up the large sword.

"Now, I transfer half my life and one Cree to that sword."

The sword began to glow, igniting with green flames.

"Dai Grepher, attack with Genocide Slash!"

The warrior plunged the sword into Bolmaster Dragon, causing it to explode in a violent fury. Dai Grepher hit the ground and charged at Drake, plunging the sword into his gut. The Seal began to close around Drake as his eyes and went blank.

"Nah…"

"Couldn't beat a weakling, could ya? The beast doesn't deserve a soul like yours." A large axe formed in Garu's hand. He lifted it and threw it at Drake's body. It broke through the Seal and landed right in Drake's back. He fell down, soulless and dead. "Consider that a warning, Anim. One of these days, you or one of your friends is gonna have to face me. I'll let you off free this time," he said and walked off into the woods.

Tiamat looked at his wounds. They all healed. The others were also starting to stir from their sleeps. The axe in Drake's back evaporated and vanished.

'What the hell is going on here?' Tiamat thought.

Next time on City of Fire: Kitty Litter


	32. Kitty Litter

Chapter 32: Kitty Litter

"So, this guy, Garu. You're saying that he made an axe appear in thin air and chucked it at that Drake guy with the dragons?"

"Yeah, it must be some part of his Cree power, like equip spells."

"So… we should be able to make swords and crap appear too?"

"I guess, but that's not the weird part. They were on the same side. They both worked for this… Darsus guy."

"Darsus? I think I've heard that name before, but I don't know where," Bann said. He turned back to look at the stragglers. He, Recks, Tiamat, and Zakei had been walking ahead so they could discuss current events. Jesi and Migome were behind them, helping Vaila, who was still a bit weak from her duel.

"Hey! We could use some help here!" Migome yelled at them.

"Coming!" Bann yelled back and started off, but was stopped by Recks.

"I'll go help them. You need to stay here."

"Huh?"

"Dragons."

"Oh…"

Recks ran off to help Migome and Jesi. Bann stayed behind and spoke with Zakei and Tiamat.

"Thank you Recks. At least one of you is helpful. I wish your brother would be as nice at times."

"Heh heh heh…" 'Now Bann's gonna kill me.'

"So, we have the dragons now. Timaeus of Time, Critias of Wisdom, and Hermos of Miracles."

"Yeah, it seems that the Reckah are afraid of them. Haven't you noticed each time we play them, they freak out, and we win the duel soon after?"

"Yeah, they're definitely powerful, and now that we've assembled all three, they seem to be driving off the Reckah. We haven't seen any all day."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Hey Kia."

Kia, Kanya, and Dai appeared.

"So, we also each have the power to talk to our Cree again too."

"Time to bundle up," Kanya said and winter clothes appeared on all three.

"Sheeee's riiiiiight…"

"Guuuuys, ggggeeeet reeeaaady foorr aaaa cooollld chiiiilllll"

The Bashers stopped, changing into warmer clothes and eating a hot lunch.

"How did it get so cold all of a sudden?"

"I can answer that," said a beautiful girl in the snow.

"Who… who are you?" Jesi asked.

"Hey, don't be so rude. This lovely lady out in the freezing weather," Zakei started. 'And we all know what happens in the cold…'

"Master!"

"Um, well she might need some food and a warm place to rest. Come sit by me."

"Thanks, but no thanks, hun. I'm not much into perverts. What I really would like is to sit with him," she said in a sensual voice, eying Bann.

"Wh… who me?"

"I think not!" Migome yelled. "She's obviously a Reckah."

"Well, aren't you a bright one," the beautiful girl said, holding out her hand. The winds swirled in her hands and an ice rose crystallized. She lifted it to her lips and blew, sparkling white snow around.

"Bitch…"

"Well, I did come here to collect souls for Master Darsus. I wanted to see those majestic dragons, but first, I think I'm going to take care of you!"

"Bring it on, my pussy can take care of you!"

Zakei began to nosebleed as Jesi and Recks fell over. Tiamat's jaw dropped and Bann just stared.

"Your… pussy?"

"Cats."

"Of course. What could I have been thinking? Oh, and you might want to wipe yourself up," she said, throwing a towel to Zakei.

"It… it's the altitude…"

"Right. Now let's get this started."

"Fine by me. I'll start by summoning the Cat's Ear Tribe."

Two little kittens appeared in field, playing with a ball of yarn.

"Nice… pussy…"

"Just go."

"Okay, now I, the Great Glaca will…"

"Enough with the melodrama. I said go!"

"You're no fun. Maybe we need to find a deck of cards for you pussy to play with, a nice big deck!"

"I don't get it, nor do I care."

Zakei was rolling on the floor cracking up along with Jesi. Tiamat just stared at both girls, as if he was now trying to eyeball their clothes off.

'Perverts!' Migome thought as she clenched her eyes and fist. Then she let out a large swing, knocking Bann into the air. "Oh… uh, sorry Bann. Heh heh."

"Now, as I was saying, I summon Freezing Beast! Attack her… pussies!"

The ice creature jumped into the air, rolled into a ball, and struck the kittens, who lashed back with their claws. Both monsters were destroyed.

"What did you do?"

"When my cats are attacked, you're monster's attack is lowered to the same as its attack, so both were destroyed."

'Dammit, I can't protect myself so,' "I'll just have to throw down this Spell."

"Do what you want."

"Why, so you're pussy can beat me senseless. You are such a ditz, it's not even funny, Migome."

"You're gonna eat your words."

'I wanna see her eat her…"

"Master!"

'Sorry…'

"I summon Tiger Axe to attack you directly!"

The armor-clad tiger ran at Glaca, slashing her with his large axe.

Glaca barely flinched before calling her next move, "I activate Damage Condenser, Special Summoning my Maiden of Aqua."

"I cast two spells and end my turn." 'She's definitely gonna sac that thing for a stronger monster. I better be ready.'

"Now, I sacrifice Maiden of Aqua to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch."

A large, blue armored man took Maiden of Aqua's place. He beat his fist into the ground and a wave of cold air surrounded Migome, erasing the Spells she just cast.

"Now, beat down on that pussy… cat."

Mobius lifted his left fist and swung at the air, releasing another gust of icy wind, freezing the tiger. He then hit the frozen cat with his right fist, shattering it into a million frozen pieces.

"I set a monster. That's all I can do."

A shadowing creature appeared in the ice.

"On the defensive? I'm not. I summon Cold Cutter. Then, I activate Blizzard Crush. By giving up some of my life, I can destroy your shadow monster."

As some of her life drained away, a huge storm blew in, freezing the shadow and cracking it, but the monster popped out and made a funny face. It looked like a strange cat statue.

"You just destroyed by Neko Mane King! By destroying it with a spell, you've just ended your own turn, so it's my move, and I set another shadow monster."

"So? You're just making the same weak defense as last time."

"You're wrong. I activate Book of Taiyou, revealing the monster I just set."

Sunlight rained down on the shadow, revealing it as a black cat.

"Now, Dark Cat with White Tail, activate your Special Ability."

All three monsters vanished from the field, returning to their master's minds.

"Now, I cast a Spell and Special Summon Speed Jaguar to attack you directly!"

A small jaguar flew onto the field and struck Glaca, taking out more of her life.

"Damn… bitch. You'll pay for this," she said, pointing to her scratched face. "You and your pussies."

Zakei cracked up again and Migome let out another fist of rage on Bann.

"Maybe you should learn to hit the right boyfriend. Anyway, sweetie, I'll make sure she doesn't hurt you again. I activate the Seal of Orichalcos."

Once again, the circular seal appeared on the field, followed by the hexagram shape.

"No!"

"MIGOME!" Bann yelled as he beat on the invisible walls of the Seal. "Timaeus, attack the Seal of Orichalcos!"

Timaeus flew over the Seal and released a beam of light from its mouth.

"It's pointless to try. Not even the mighty dragons of legend can break the Seal."

"Oh yeah?" Zakei asked. "Critias!"

"Hermos!" Tiamat yelled.

Then together, they said, "Help Timaeus break the Seal!"

All three dragons attacked the Seal, but nothing happened.

"Keep trying. Migome has to get out of there!"

"I said it was pointless to try," Glaca said as she turned back to Migome. Her hair parted around her forehead and the Seal appeared above her eyes, which turned a glowing deep shade of red. "I summon Cold Cutter and activate Cold Wave to stop you from using any of your traps. Now, Cold Cutter, attack her Speed Jaguar."

The powered up ice monster struck the Speed Jaguar with an icy claw, slashing it and destroying it.

"That's all for now."

"My turn! I summon King Tiger Wanghu. Then I activate Poison Fang so that every time I destroy one of your monsters, I can inflict even more damage to your life. Now, King Tiger, Rush Recklessly at Cold Cutter."

The armored dark tiger ran at blinding speed, appearing in front of Cold Cutter and sinking his teeth into the frozen beast. Purple haze poured out of the monster's wound and floated over to Glaca, who began to suffocate from the fumes. But Cold Cutter wasn't done. It froze King Tiger, who stopped right as it reached Migome's side.

"What did you do to him?"

"My Cold Cutter freezes whatever kills it, weakening your monster and leaving you pretty much defenseless."

"Oh yeah, well I cast a Spell. Your turn."

"That won't help you. When my Cold Cutter is destroyed, I can Special Summon a new one. Now, I sacrifice him to Summon Mobius!"

Mobius returned to the field, once again destroying Migome's set spell and Poison Fangs. The Seal of Orichalcos appeared on his forehead and his eyes began to glow red. He then punched the frozen tiger, inflicting a huge amount of damage to Migome.

"Hurt, didn't it? I forgot to mention that when a monster affected by my Cold Cutter is destroyed, you feel the cold even more. Chills to the bones, doesn't it? I cast a Spell. Go."

Migome chattered a little and shook. "I…I…I suuuummmmon Reeeesscue Caaaaat," she tried to say as she pulled her cloak tighter around her body.

A small white cat wearing a helmet purred softly next to her leg.

"Now, I can use her effect to summon Catnipped Kitty and Breaker Cheetah. Using Catnipped Kitty's effect… I can take away your Monarch's defense, and since I can choose the battle position of a monster that my Cheetah attacks…"

Breaker Cheetah ran at Mobius, swiping it with it's claws.

"…your monster is destroyed."

Mobius exploded.

"Yes, but your two cats are destroyed at the end of the turn as well."

"Which is why I'm activating Medicine Eater and sacrificing them both to summon Assault Lion!"

A huge lion-like creature appeared behind Migome, clutching Breaker Cheetah in his hand. He then swallowed it like a pill.

"Nice one Migome! She managed to destroy Mobius and summon a powerful monster!" Bann yelled in applause. "The Seal's got nothing on you!"

"We'll see."

"Oh, and I'm not done. I cast two spells. Now you can go."

"I cast a Spell and activate Monster Reborn, Special Summoning Mobius back to the field."

"Him again? My Assault Lion is stronger than him, even with the power of the Seal."

"You're right, so I'm giving him the Ice Blade, making him strong enough to take out your Lion."

Assault Lion let out a great roar, stopping Mobius in his tracks. He was frozen in fear.

"What? What did you do?"

"I sprang my trap, Threatening Roar. You can't attack this turn."

"Fine, but my monster is still stronger than yours."

"For now, but not when I activate this, Wild Nature's Release!"

Assault Lion doubled his already tremendous size. He then attacked Mobius, who lifted his sword. Assault Lion stepped back for a second, but continued his attack, breaking the sword and taking a huge bite out of Glaca's life.

"Your Frost Monarch should be destroyed."

"Thanks to the Ice Blade, you only managed to break his sword. And, since your Spell destroys your Lion at the end of the turn, I am free to directly attack you and take out the rest of your life next turn. Prepare to lose your soul."

"I'll never lose to the likes of you. I activate Beast Soul Swap, returning my Assault Lion to my mind and returning him to the field. He may lose his attack bonus, but at least he can still protect me."

"Now, to take care of your pussy permanently. Mobius, destroy the Assault Lion."

Mobius struck Assault Lion, freezing him and shattering his body. Migome closed her eyes as her life took another hit.

"I… set a monster. Go ahead Glaca."

'Damn, she's on the defensive again. Come on Migome. I know you can win.'

"I summon another Freezing Beast. Then I attack your set monster with it, leaving you wide open for a direct attack."

Glaca laughed as Freezing Beast curled into a ball. It rolled at the set monster, which was revealed as a Cat of Ill Omen. The Black Cat was destroyed.

"Now that you are unprotected, Mobius, attack her!"

Mobius punched her with his massive right fist, throwing Migome against the Seal.

Next time on City of Fire: Struggle


	33. Struggle

Chapter 33: Struggle

Glaca laughed as Freezing Beast curled into a ball. It rolled at the set monster, which was revealed as a Cat of Ill Omen. The Black Cat was destroyed.

"Now that you are unprotected, Mobius, attack her!"

Mobius punched her with his massive right fist, throwing Migome against the Seal.

"Migome!" Bann yelled as he pounded on the Seal. "Get up! You have to win."

Overhead, Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos continued to fly above, launching their attacks on the Seal.

'Pesky dragons. They don't let up. There is no way I can take those things. But maybe…' "On no!"

"Good," Bann said as he looked up. A huge crack had just appeared in the Seal, following Timaeus' last attack. "Soon the Seal will break."

'But this can't be. The Seal is supposed to be unbreakable. What the hell are they? I better finish this duel fast.' "Wake up little girl."

"Uhhhh… I… I win?"

"Far from, my dear. In fact, next turn, you'll lose."

Migome slowly got to her feet. She now remembered where she was. Bann stood behind her, still pounding on the Seal.

"Oh yeah, that's right. It's my turn. I activate Kitty Cat Calling, allowing me to Special Summon a kitty that was destroyed earlier. So come back to me, Rescue Cat. Next, I can activate her special ability again, allowing me to summon the All-Seeing White Tiger and Shield Lion, and thanks to my Kitty Cat Calling still being in effect, I can summon another cat monster since my Rescue Cat is gone, so I summon the Cat of Ill Omen. Now, with three cats on the field, I can activate my War Lion Ritual, sacrificing all three to summon Super War Lion."

The three cats fused together into a spirit that formed into a beastly lion. The Super War Lion letting out a tremendous roar.

"Now, to finish my turn, I'm going to set the Trap my Cat of Ill Omen just gave me along with another trap."

"Foolish girl. Your Super War Lion isn't strong enough to beat me. Plus, by saying that you have laid that trap, you have sealed your fate. I activate Trap Glacier, freezing the play of all traps during this turn. Now Mobius, attack Super War Lion and end this duel!"

"That's what you think. I activate Wild Plan!"

"I sealed your trap play."

"Yes, but Wild Plan isn't a trap, it's a spell. Now, by sacrificing the trap that Cat of Ill Omen gave me, I can activate it's effect, allowing me to activate any one Spell that I've used previously in the duel, but that's not all. I also activate Serial Spell, allowing me to use the Spell twice, so say hello to a double dosage of Wild Nature's Release!"

A huge aura surrounded Super War Lion as he tripled in size. His muscles bulged and he unleashed a terrifying roar that stopped Mobius in his tracks. He then grabbed Mobius with both arms, tearing him in half like a rag doll. The huge recoil of the attack dropped the last amount of life that Glaca had to nothing. Timaeus, Critias and Hermos shot the Seal, which shattered. Both women flew out of the Seal as it vanished.

"I… I'm okay. But I lost. My soul should be gone."

"I guess we saved you, Glaca. Consider it a good deed."

"But… I can't go back now. I lost, which means my soul should be taken."

She lifted the green gem into the air.

"What are you doing!"

Zakei ran to stop her, but it was too late. A green light fell from the sky and struck her. The stone in her hand shattered as she fell to her knees and collapsed.

Bann just stared, shocked that she would readily give up her soul.

"Glac… Glaca? You… you drove her to madness!"

"Huh?"

The Bashers turned to see a fiery haired Reckah standing on the cliffs above.

"You will pay. You will suffer and pay!"

He jumped off the cliff and threw the stone into the ground. It began to pulsate.

"And I think I'm going to start with you, little girl."

"Migome, look out!" Bann yelled as he pushed her out of the way. The Seal appeared on the ground, trapping Bann and the mysterious man inside.

"Well, not who I was hoping for, but I'll duel her in time, once I take your soul."

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen."

"I'll make sure it happens. Prepare to feel that wrath of a thousand fires, as they slowly burn away your life, turning your body into nothing but ash."

"Only if you can keep with me. I summon Dark Blade. Then I cast two Spells. Your turn, Reckah."

"That's Blaze, and I'm more than ready to go. I'll start with Hinotama."

He snapped both of his fingers, igniting two fireballs in his hands. He then proceeded to hurl them at Bann.

"I am the master of fire, Meteor of Destruction."

He then lifted both hands into the air, creating a humungous fireball in his hands, which he flung at Bann, who took the hit.

"Now, to finish this, I summon Darkfire Soldier #2. Attack his Dark Blade."

The fiery samurai attacked Dark Blade. The Seal enhanced his powers.

"Activate Draining Shield!"

Dark Blade defended, converting the force of Darkfire's attack straight into Bann's own life force.

"I'll cast a Spell. Go."

"I sacrifice Dark Blade to summon Kiryu. Then I activate Knight's Rebirth to bring Dark Blade back. Now, combine!"

Dark Blade jumped onto the red dragon's back, enhancing his own power as he took to the skies.

"Dark Blade, attack!"

Dark Blade and Kiryu destroyed Darkfire Soldier.

"I cast my own Spell. Your turn."

"I summon Flame Slayer. Now, I attack your Unified Monsters. Slayer Shot!"

The warrior let out a burst of flames, incinerating Kiryu. He then jumped into the air, unsheathing his sword, and struck the falling Dark Blade.

"Your monster won't be around too long. I activate the Warrior Returning Alive and Polymerization, fusing Dark Blade and Pitch-Dark Dragon, summoning Dark Blade the Dragon Knight! Now, attack his Flame Slayer!"

Dark Blade swooped down again, cutting the slayer in half and enacting his revenge.

"So much for him. Now, I activate Dark Blade's effect, allowing me to remove every monster I've destroyed so far from play."

"I'll counter that with Big Burn!"

Flames surrounded both duelists, destroying the souls of every monster that was destroyed so far.

"I'll end this turn by summoning my Round Knight Percivale. By giving up the power to attack this turn, I can summon him without a tribute."

"I summon Blue Flame Swordsman." 'Since his attack is equal to Percivale's from the Seal, I will instead choose to…' "Attack Dark Blade!"

The Swordsman leapt into the air, chopping off Pitch-Dark Dragon's head. The entire body ignited in deep blue flames. Dark Blade, with nowhere to go, was engulfed in the flames, dying from the burn before he hit the ground.

"I activate Soul Rope. By giving up some of my life, I can Special Summon a new monster to the field. Go, Gold Knight!"

The Golden Knight hit the field.

'Nice to see you again, old friend, and I have a few new tricks to show with you.' "I activate White Winged Dragon."

A bluish dragon with golden eyes flew onto the field. Gold Knight jumped into the air and landed on the dragon's back.

"Now, I equip my newly formed Paladin of White Dragon with Ritual Weapon."

A crossbow-like weapon appeared on the Paladin's left arm.

"Now, Paladin, attack Blue Flame Swordsman with your Aero Shot!"

Paladin shot an arrow of light from the crossbow, aimed at Blue Flame Swordsman. It struck its target, destroying the blue warrior.

"Now, I'll atta…" but Bann stopped.

From the center of the field, a tower of red flames exploded. The original Flame Swordsman appeared.

"I pay some of my life to summon Round Knight Lamorak and end my turn."

"Good, because this is the real end for you. I activate Tremendous Fire!"

A huge fiery explosion filled the Seal. When the smoke cleared, both were in pain from deep burns, but Bann continued to burn after Blaze used Final Flame.

"Feeling it yet? Feel the burn? Good, because it doesn't stop there. I Special Summon Spirit of the Flames by removing Blue Flame Swordsman from play. Then, I sacrifice my two Fire Monsters to summon Infernal Flame Emperor."

A gigantic beast made of fire appeared behind Blaze. He looked upon Paladin's arm, which immediately ignited, destroying the Ritual Weapon and leaving a bad burn scar. He then attacked the Paladin of White Dragon, inflicting a large amount of damage to Bann, who was already writhing in agony.

"My… turn… I sacrifice King and Queen's Knights to Summon Round Knight Galahad. Then I activate Bond of Brothers to summon Round Knight Gareth and Round Knight Launcelot."

Another three Round Knights took the field.

"Now that I have all five of my Round Knights, I cast two Spells and activate Round Knight Martyr Attack!"

All five knights lifted their swords and crossed them.

"Next, I activate the A. Forces, giving each of my Knights a well deserved boost! Now, attack Infernal Flame Emperor!"

"I activate Infernal Chain Armor!"

Each of the Round Knights attacked. The Chain Armor stopped Infernal Flame Emperor from being destroyed, but it didn't stop the Knights from inflicting a nice amount of damage. Finally, all six creatures on the field exploded.

"Well… that just leaves you and me, and without any protection, next turn I will destroy you!"

"Not exactly. Now I Special Summon Round Knight Arthur."

"I'll finish this right now. I summon Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective. Then I sacrifice Spirit of Flames and Infernal Flame Emperor to summon two Infernos. Then, I sacrifice them to increase Gaia Soul's attack! Now, destroy Round Knight Arthur."

"I sacrifice Jack's Knight in order to increase the attack of Round Knight Arthur."

"He's still not strong enough to beat my Gaia Soul!"

"I know, but at least my life won't take as much of a hit."

Gaia exploded, destroying Round Knight Arthur.

"I cast two Spells. Then I end my turn."

"Good… I activate Return of the Round Table. At the cost of almost all of my remaining life, I can Special Summon Queen's Knight, King's Knight, and Jack's Knight. However, they can't attack this turn or be offered as tributes…"

"Then they're basically useless, which is good because now I'm gonna waste you with this last Spell!"

"I'm not done yet."

"What? What can you possibly do with a bunch of useless Knights?"

"While it may be true that I can't sacrifice them normally, I can sacrifice them for a specific spell. Now, I activate Royal Straight."

All three knights vanished in a flash of light.

"Feel like a game of poker? I do, and there is no way you can beat my Royal Flush!"

A knight in extravagant armor, wearing a white mask, appeared in place of the three knight's places.

"Wha… what are you going to do with that?"

"I'm going to attack you directly."

"Oh yeah? Well get past this! I activate Embodiment of Flame!"

A spirit made of fire appeared. It circled Blaze.

"You can destroy him if you like, but you will take all the damage. Since we both have little life left, whoever takes damage will lose. If you decide not to attack, I'll just destroy you next turn with my Ookazi Spell. If you do attack, you take all the damage. It's a lose/lose situation for you."

"I choose…"

'Come on Bann.'

'You can do it!'

"We've got your back. You can beat this clown."

"Ha ha, without Timaeus, you really are pathetic."

"I choose to beat you. I activate the special ability of Royal Flush, transferring the power of Brave Knight, Knight Champion, Familiar Knight, Command Knight, and Curse of Dragon to Royal Flush's sword. Now, attack with Royal Burst!"

Royal Flush lifted his huge sword, which now glowed in a bright light from the power of the five monsters whose souls were infused into it. He struck the ground and slashed, releasing a stream of light that shot over the ground, destroying Embodiment of Flame and the other Spell that Blaze cast.

"What just happened?"

"When I send monsters whose levels go from one to five to Royal Flush's sword, I can destroy everything on your side of the field, and since you now have nothing to protect yourself with…"

"No, no, not that!"

"Since you were so willing to take my soul, you should be more than ready to give yours up. Royal Flush, attack him now!"

Royal Flush lifted his sword again, charging at Blaze and swinging his blade down on Blaze, reducing his life to nothing. The Seal closed in around Blaze, sucking his soul into the green light.

"I don't need Timaeus to win my battles."

"Alright Bann! That was sick!"

"Heh heh," Bann laughed.

"Those fools. They have no idea what they are getting themselves into. Every step they take, I get a little closer to my revenge. Ah, so you have awakened," Darsus said without turning to look as a boy entered his chamber.

The boy walked closer, rubbing his eyes.

Finally, he asked, "What the heck do you want with me?"

"I want nothing with you, but we share a common interest. You see, I wish to enact my revenge on the Anims, and you want your revenge on that Basher."

"I see. Well, I stick to my guns. I'll take him out this time."

"You may want this," replied Darsus. He pulled a small green stone from his cloak.

"What is it?" asked the boy.

"A gift. Use it and I guarantee your revenge."

The boy took the stone. He stared down it and began to smile wickedly. The Seal of Orichalcos appeared on his forehead and his eyes turned red. "Ha…ha ha… ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Next time on City of Fire: The Return of the Prince


	34. Return of the Prince

Chapter 34: The Return of the Prince

"Where are they? Come on! I'll take all of you on! I'm not afraid of you! Get out here and face me!" Jesi yelled as he jumped around in front of the group.

The rest of the Bashers watched Jesi's act, sweat dropping.

'Oy vey,' Bann thought.

'What and idiot,' Zakei thought.

"Hey, what's that?" Jesi yelled, jumping into the bushes. He grabbed a rabbit by the ears and lifted it into the air. "Ah hah! Couldn't fool me! I know this is your Cree. Come on out, Reckah!"

"Grrr…" Tiamat lifted his fist and BAM

"Ow, what the hell did you do that for, Tiamat!"

"Stop acting like a damn idiot! We've had two days of peace and two days of you talking non-stop! Shut the hell up!"

"I'm just keeping an active guard. You didn't have to hit me! You wanna fight? I'll kick your ass!"

"…"

"Lunch?" asked Recks.

About an hour later, the Bashers had settled down for a rest. They were finished with their lunch and decided it would be best for all if they rested for the rest of the day, starting out again in the morning. It had been two days since Migome and Bann dueled the two Reckah, Glaca and Blaze. Since then, not a single Reckah had crossed their path.

The theory they had come up with is that the Reckah were weary, now that the three Legendary Dragons were around and their boss had learned that the Dragons had broken the Seal. Since the Dragons were so powerful together, the first thing he would do would take out Bann, Tiamat, or Zakei, but they were so powerful with their Dragons that he hadn't figured a way to do so yet.

"Well, I think it's time for my shift. I'll go switch with Jesi. You two should get some rest," Bann told Tiamat and Zakei.

The three had been talking for what seemed like hours. Bann got up and walked out the cave door. There, on a rock, overlooking the cliffs below, Jesi sat, about to pass out.

"Jesi, your shift is over. Go get some rest."

"Seriously? Finally. Yawn" He stretched his arms and began to get up.

"Hey, wait. You got a moment?"

"Huh? Yeah Bann, what's up?"

"Well, I know you've been wanting to fight lately, but take it from me. You don't want to be in there," Bann said, hinting to the Orichalcos. "It's hard to explain, but your opponent becomes not only the enemy you see in front of you, but your own fears. You are confronted with everything from your past, present, and future. Not even a Dragon can save you."

"Good thing I'm not scared of anything."

"Don't be cocky. I'm telling you for your own good. Please, be more careful when you pick your fights."

"Is that all? I really want to go to bed."

"Huh? Oh, sorry. One last thing. I've been wondering, since I've never seen you duel. What kind of strategy do you use?"

"Me? Just call me Jesi the Storm."

"Thunder huh?"

"Yeah."

"Then here. Take this."

Bann closed his eyes and concentrated. The image of a fierce warrior with a mighty sword appeared in his mind and swept across the path like a shadow, entering the soul of Jesi.

"Huh? What… what is this?"

"Consider it a gift. I figure a spirit like yours… well, let's just say he might come in handy one day."

"Um… thanks Bann," Jesi responded, turning and walking into the cave.

"It's time. I will enact my revenge on you, Tiamat. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" laughed a small shadowy figure. He watched the Bashers through the bushes as they walked through the morning haze.

"Huh? I know you're out there!" Jesi yelled.

'Not this again. Dammit, shut up,' thought a half-awake Tiamat.

"Jesi, you continue to act like this and I'm going to duel you myself," Zakei threatened.

"No, I'm serious, guys. Don't you get the feeling that we're being watched? I know I heard something in the bushes," Jesi replied.

"Sure, and that person is going to be right here when I pull him by the hair," Migome said as she reached into the bush.

She tugged on a branch and pulled it up to reveal the head of a boy.

"See, just leaves."

"Yes, leaves-for-brains. That's you."

Migome looked at what was in her hand and screamed. She jumped into the air and landed right on Recks.

"You!"

"Me? Oh, you!"

"Shut up, Donorlen."

"How, how the hell did you… You sentenced yourself to a life of torment in the shadows. What the hell are you doing here!"

"Never count the Prince of the N00bs out. Nothing could keep me in that pit of darkness. Finally, my intense hatred for you, Tiamat, was answered by the one true god."

"Huh? Erebus?"

"Please. Erebus is no match for the powers of Aether."

"Aether of Kahlos, the Sky God. He saw my power and gave me a second chance. Now, I am back to defeat you, Tiamat, and feed your soul to him."

"Fine, then I'll…" Tiamat started.

"I'll duel you!" Jesi finished.

"Huh?" everyone said.

"I don't want to duel you! With my new powers, you wouldn't stand a chance. Then again, you would make the perfect first sacrifice. I stick to my guns. I accept your challenge. Once I defeat you, I will duel Tiamat."

"That's only if you get the chance."

"Duel! I summon Jirai Gumo. Then, cast a Spell. Your turn, Anim."

"The name is Jesi, Jesi the Storm, and I will summon Mirage Dragon. Then I'll have him attack with Stamping Destruction, an attack that targets you Spell. I'll cast my own Spell, and end my turn."

The two now faced off with a giant spider and a glowing dragon.

"Too bad this will end so quickly. Prepare to feel the full force my bugs…"

"Shut up you insect. Stop being so overdramatic and just duel!"

"Grrrrr… I activate the Ritual, Javelin Beetle Pact. This allows me to summon Javelin Beetle by sacrificing Jirai Gumo and Skull-Mark Ladybug. Also, before I complete my summon, I would like you to know that my Ladybug gives me more life…"

"You are a lady, bug. I don't care. Just finish your fucking move."

"Fine. I summon Javelin Beetle. Attack Mirage Dragon!"

"Activate Raigeki Break!"

Jesi lifted his hand into the air. A ball of electricity formed, which shot into the air and struck Javelin Beetle like a huge lightning rod. The large bug burst into flame and disintegrated.

"I told you, I don't care. You're little bug was no match for the power of nature's ultimate force, lightning."

"I activate Contract Fulfillment. This allows me to give up some of my life to return Javelin Beetle to the field. Go, damn it."

"Gladly. I sacrifice Mirage Dragon for Des Voltsgalph. Since he is too weak to attack your bug, I'll just cast a few Spells and end my turn."

"Big mistake in not attacking my Javelin Beetle, but what more could I suspect from such a weak duelist. I attack your Des Voltsgalph!"

"You N00b. Forget my sets. I activate Scapegoat and combo it with Emergency Provisions, summoning four Sheep to the field and giving my life a boost."

"You did nothing but a bunch of life and monster gain. Your dragon is still nothing to me!"

Javelin Beetle attacked, but Des Voltsgalph countered, unleashing a thunderball that incinerated the bug for a second time.

"What!"

"Each time a Spell is cast, Voltsgalph gains some attack. Also, when he destroys your monster, you take additional damage."

The thunderball shot straight through the vanishing insect and hit Donorlen who screamed in pain.

"…set… monster…"

"Now, I activate my Thunder Crash Spell!"

The four sheep and dragon all disappeared. A dark cloud formed in the sky overhead, launching a wave of lightning down on Donorlen, who screamed again from the intense voltage that ran through his body.

"Heh heh, and they say lightning never strikes twice. Ah, my favorite monster. I'll give you a little break from this thunderstorm. I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon!"

A small, chicken-like griffin appeared. Its silvery body glimmered in light.

"Heh, now we get to see Jesi's true power."

"What do you mean, Tiamat?" asked Bann.

"You'll see soon enough. I promise. If Donny keeps playing like he is, this duel should be over in three turns."

"Now, attack that shadow monster!"

Horus spread its wings and flapped into the air. Releasing a small black fireball, it uncovered the shadow monster to be none other than… Man-Eater Bug!

"Oh no. Jesi's prized monster!"

Man-Eater Bug lashed out at Horus.

"No! I activate Thunder Shield!"

Another spark of thunder shot down from the clouds above, stopping the bug just before it attacked Horus. Horus countered with another fireball, destroying the insect.

"This nifty trap protects all my monsters from monster effects for a turn. However, it comes with a price. You gain some life, and if the monster I'm protecting isn't a Thunder-Type, some of mine taken away…"

Another bolt of lightning shot Jesi, who took the blast like it was nothing.

"That will end my turn. Oh, and since Horus destroyed your bug, lemme show you a neat trick of his."

Horus began to grow, changing into a more falcon-like griffin. It screeched at the air and looked down on Donorlen.

"No… it… it can do it to?" Don looked terrified, remembering the power of Armed Dragon as it unleashed its Genocide Cutter on his Insect Queen and Great Moth, finishing with a blow from its mighty fist.

"Oh, I see. Like Armed Dragon, Jesi's Horus evolves each turn. So in a few more turns, Don will be facing a fully evolved Horus the Black Flame Dragon."

"Yeah, and he won't stand a chance."

'I'll show them.' "It is time to show you the full extent of the power of Aether, God of the Sky, who sent to this world stones from his heavenly home of Kahlos, 700 years ago, judging the human race."

"Wait… Aether of Kahlos? I know that name."

"Vaila, what is it?"

"In ancient Reckah tongue… Aether was pronounce Orith… Orith of Kahlcos… Stones of Orichalcos."

"No… Jesi! Get out there!"

"No. I need to beat him. I can. I'm not afraid."

"You will be. I activate the Seal of Aether of Kahlos… Orichalcos!"

Donorlen lifted the small green rock he was holding in his palm. The rock glowed as the Seal appeared, trapping Jesi and himself within.

"Now do you see the power of Aether? Lord Darsus used it to bring me back. He can break through the shadows. Nothing can stop him."

"You poor fool."

"Huh?"

Jesi stared down at the Seal and looked up at Donorlen. "Don't you see? The Reckah haven't attacked us for three days. They are afraid of our power. So scared that they sent you as a pawn so they would have to waste any of their own men. Darsus is a coward."

"You… you're wrong. Lord Darsus has given me the Orichalcos. He has faith in my power."

"The only thing he has done is told you a bunch of lies, giving you that rock so by some chance, if you won, your soul would feed this Beast that Darsus wants to revive."

"You know nothing, and I will prove it to you. I'll set a monster and a spell, ending my turn. Your move, you pathetic Anim."

"I'm sorry Don, but you're about to lose your soul. I summon Lightning Dragon, who will attack your shadow monster."

Lightning Dragon shot across the field, but was stopped by a large parasitic worm now on the field.

"What the hell is that?"

"Parasite Worm, infect his life!"

The worm swallowed Lightning Dragon and attacked Jesi, exploding. Jesi screamed in agony from this sneak attack.

"Ah… I… still have one… dragon left. Horus, attack his monster!"

"When Horus destroys that thing, he'll level up again."

Horus attacked the shadow monster, but instead of destroying it, the thing latched onto Horus' metallic body.

"Ha! Now my Kiseitai leech will suck on your monster's soul, feeding my life even more!"

"That's what you think. Look again."

Kiseitai was unable to latch onto Horus. Without any food, it shriveled and died.

"So much for him. I…" 'Damn, since he wasn't destroyed in battle, Horus won't level up. I guess I'll just have to…' "…end my turn."

"Ah, I think I have the perfect solution for my dragon problem. I summon Ultimate Insect. This little larvae might not seem like much, but just wait. I activate Level Up!"

"Oh no. That thing also is a Level Monster."

The larvae encased itself into a cocoon, changing into a chrysalis-encased bug and attached itself to a nearby tree.

"Attack Horus! Oh, and if you were wondering, the two have equal attack, or did until the Seal powered him up!"

Ultimate Insect shot a thread around Horus, squeezing him until he shattered.

"Cast a Spell. End turn."

"I set a monster and a spell. You're move."

'Oh man, without Horus, he's stuck on the defensive. Come on Jesi.'

"Pathetic. Before I have Ultimate Insect attack, I'll level him up to his most powerful form!"

A giant cicada broke out of the chrysalis. It let out a strange noise and started blowing gusts of wind over the field.

"Before I have him attack, I would like to tell you his special ability. You see, he is covering the field with a poisonous dust that weakens all of your monster's attacks. Add that to his already high attack with the Orichalcos… well, you get the picture."

"Lucky my monster is in defense."

"Not for long. I activate Shadow Swarm. These little bugs are about to eat away at the shadows that surround your creature."

A swarm of light bugs covered the shadow monster. When the vanished, Masked Dragon stood in attack. Its attack was cut in half from the dust on the field.

"Masked… Dragon…"

"Attack!"

Ultimate Insect attacked the little dragon, sending him flying into Jesi. The bug then landed on Jesi and started attacking him, cutting his life almost in half as Jesi screamed in agony and fear.

"… You forget my… Dragon's ability…" Jesi said as he slowly got up, short of breath. "I Special Summon Element Dragon. My turn. See you in Hell, Donny. I activate Level Tuning, summoning Horus back to the field. In addition, I can use Level Up!"

Horus transformed into a larger griffin. He was now complete. The two Level Monsters were now about to battle at full power.

"Now, Horus, attack!"

Next time on City of Fire: Bug Zapper


	35. Bug Zapper

Chapter 35: Bug Zapper

"My turn. See you in Hell, Donny. I activate Level Tuning, summoning Horus back to the field. In addition, I can use Level Up!"

Horus transformed into a larger griffin. He was now complete. The two Level Monsters were now about to battle at full power.

"Now, Horus, attack!"

Horus rose into the air, letting out a high-pitched scream. It opened its beak and let out a wave of black fire.

"You idiot! I'm the N00b? You Black Flame Dragon has much less attack than my Ultimate Insect. Insect, counter its attack!"

Ultimate Insect countered with a mighty gust of wind, pushing back Horus' black flames.

"See, you idiot?"

"I see… that your bug is goin' down! I activate Giant Storm!"

Heavy winds began to blow, countering Ultimate Insect's attack. Rain poured down over the battlefield, extinguishing Horus' flames. Lightning struck down over the field, hitting both monsters, leaving nothing but dust. Then, more lightning struck Jesi and Donorlen, throwing them both against the Seal's walls.

"Damn you. What did you do?"

"I activated my trap. You see, when I attack, I can use Giant Storm to take out both monsters, inflicting damage to our life equal to their attacks. Since you weakened my Black Flame Dragon's attack, I won't take nearly as much damage, but your powered up Ultimate Insect is about to take out most of what is left of yours… cough" Jesi explained as he hit the ground.

"Oh no!" Migome screamed.

"Jesi, you idiot," Tiamat yelled. 'He didn't have as much life as he thought. That attack on himself has drained almost all that is left of him…'

"Heh heh heh… you're in a bad way, Anim."

'Vision… blurry… gotta… make this count…' "I… cast… a Spell…" Jesi managed to say as he lay on the ground. His head lifted as he spoke, but it fell again with his last word.

"I believe that makes it my turn, and what a turn it will be. I'll start by summoning my Pinch Hopper. Then, by using Multiplication of Ants, I can sacrifice my Hopper to summon two Ant Tokens. Now my ants, feed on the power that has been given to you!"

"They still aren't strong enough to take on my Element Dragon."

"You're right, but she is."

"Who?" Vaila asked, but didn't wait long to have her question answered.

A bunch of insects swarm, shaping a humanoid body. They hardened into a chrysalis from which broke open to reveal an insectoid girl with four arms, bug eyes, two antennae, and butterfly wings.

"Meet Insect Princess!"

"Is that your girlfriend Donorlen?" Zakei asked.

"Very funny, Anim," Donorlen shot back, "but this delicate flower is about to win the duel for me. You see, since your friend is out cold, once I destroy that dragon, I will finish by attacking with my two ants, finishing off what is left of that whelp. Now, Insect Princess, attack."

The princess flew into the air to attack Element Dragon, who tried to fight back and defend his master.

"Oh, and I activate DNA Surgery, changing that Dragon into a Bug."

Element Dragon's body became more insect-like. The princess grabbed Element… Insect, opened her mouth, and took a big bite into the insect dragon. The rest of the bug vanished as Insect Princess grew and changed.

"Ha ha ha ha! Now, attack directly my two ants!"

The two Ant Tokens scurried across the field, heading for Jesi's body, but before they could strike, a large metallic spike ball. The bulbous thing used its liquid metallic body to create a shield that blocked the two ants from proceeding any further.

"What the hell is this?"

"Its my ultimate shield… the trap monster known as Metal Reflect Slime."

"Slime?"

"Yeah, and even your little princess is no match… cough"

"Well, if it's so powerful, then I'll have to use my Insect Barrier to protect myself."

A glowing barrier appeared in the middle of the field, stopping all insects on Jesi's side of the field from getting through.

"This is the same strategy… Donorlen pulled on me…" Tiamat blurted out.

"Yeah, I remember. That parasite wasn't a pretty sight."

"Don't remind me. I might still have some scars."

"I'm not afraid of a little barrier. I activate the power of my Thunder Dragon, multiplying him in two. Then I activate Polymerization, fusing my two Thunder Dragons together into Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon."

An odd red dragon appeared. It had two heads attached to long necks with a long horn on the nose of each head. Both heads stared up into the clouds as it stood on its hind legs. The heads roared and thunder crashed. Lightning struck all around the Seal. Then the body of the Dragon began to change, turning into an insect.

"Even your mighty Thunder Dragon is no match for my power."

"We'll see. I cast a Spell. Attack me if you dare."

"I will. You see, my Insect Princess draws your dragon into attack position. Since he is, you'll suffer damage when I attack. Then, my princess will have enough power to take on your Metal Reflect Slime, who is immune to my Princesses effect. Princess, attack!"

Insect Princess flew onto Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and took a big bite out of the dragon's hide. Jesi took a little bit of damage and Insect Princess began to grow in power again.

"Not so fast. I activate Divine Wrath. Now that your Insect Princess is activating her effect…"

Lightning shot down from the dark clouds above and zapped the bug, blowing it into a million teeny particles.

"You… you destroyed Insect Princess…"

"I'm coming you after you… next…"

"That so? I activate Monster Reborn, reviving my princess. And, now that she is back, I activate the magic of Insect Imitation…"

A cocoon surrounded the insect, breaking open to reveal Insect Queen.

"…to make my princess a queen."

"Great… a bigger bug… Well, I cast a Spell. You can go."

"That's it? That's the power of the great Jesi the Storm? You Anim. I sacrifice my Ant Token so that my Insect Queen can attack."

Insect Queen chomped down on one of the Ant Tokens and attacked Metal Reflect Slime.

"Not… so fast. I activate… Spark Revive, bringing back my Thunder Dragon."

Insect Queen destroyed the metal slime, but Thunder Dragon still protected Jesi from harm.

'Pretty good, Jesi. You managed to protect yourself from any more damage. Too bad you're no match for Donorlen. He may be a N00b, but he's good. Soon, you'll be feeding your soul to the beast. I'll enjoy watching you squirm,' thought a strange figure hidden in the bushes behind them. He started to move to find a better spot to watch the finale.

'Huh? There's someone in the bushes behind us,' thought Bann. "It must be a Reckah sent to report the duel to Darsus. I'll let you go for now. No sense getting into another duel.' He turned back to watch Jaesai's next turn. 'Come on Jaesai. You can do this.'

"Well, you've protected yourself once again, but I'm not done yet. I summon Arsenal Bug. Also, I cast a Spell, and as I end my turn, my Insect Queen creates an Insect Egg Token."

'Great… more bugs.' "Alright… I summon…" 'Perfect!' "…Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"

The large Monarch took Thunder Dragon's place on the field. Blue electricity surrounded his body, which was covered by a silvery armor. Pink claws zapped a current of electricity across each hand, which was fed by a large power generator on his back. A large, green bulb on his head served as a crown.

"With his special ability, I can instantly destroy one monster on the field… and I choose your Insect Queen."

"No! I activate Swarming Shield."

One of the Ant Tokens multiplied. The multiplied ants swarmed over Insect Queen's body like a protective armor. Zaborg's lightning hit the Queen, but only managed to zap off a few ants.

"Damn you. I was going to end my turn, but you leave me no choice. I activate Thunder Charge, which allows me to activate Makiu the Magical Mist."

A dense fog covered the field.

"Now Zaborg, attack!"

Zaborg let off a burst of electricity, which spread through the mist on the field, taking out all of Donorlen's monsters except the still protected Insect Queen.

"Cast Spell. Your move Donny. Make it count," Jesi mocked.

"Oh don't worry. I will. I cast two Spells. Then I summon Insect Knight, who I sacrifice for my Queen's attack!"

Insect Queen grabbed Insect Knight in her jaws and swallowed the strange cross between a grasshopper and a warrior. Zaborg was destroyed, leaving Jesi defenseless again. Jesi continued to lie on the ground in pain from his most recent hit.

"I cast a Spell…" Jesi started.

"I activate Return Swarming! This trap returns every monster you destroyed on your last turn. In other words, I get my Insect Egg Token and my Arsenal Bug back!"

"I end my turn…"

"No! Jesi. You've gotta do something! If you don't… you'll lose next turn!"

"I've done all I can do… Bann. You were right about the Seal. I am afraid. Very afraid."

Bann just stared. He was unable to speak. Donorlen would win.

"I would give you a hero's farewell, Anim, but I would rather see you suffer. I'll start by hatching my egg, summoning Armored Centipede. Then, I activate my trap Mind Swarming, bringing back two Insects that were sent to the Grave from something other than a Tribute Summon or by being destroyed, and I choose Insect Knight and Jirai Gumo."

Five gruesome bugs now swarmed the field.

"Jesi…"

"This is not cool man."

'Well, this is it. Jesi will give his soul to the beast. I can't wait.'

"NOW, ATTACK HIM! KILL HIM! TAKE HIS SOUL!"

All five bugs attacked Jesi directly, but were stopped by another metallic demon.

"I activate… Devil's Sanctuary, Special Summoning my Metal Devil Token."

"So? That thing is weak!"

"Look closely, Don."

Don looked at the devil, shocked that his face was reflected upon its head.

"Any damage he suffers is reflected, striking your life."

"STOP! I'm not fool enough that I would attack myself."

'Good, he protected himself, but if he keeps that token, his life will end next turn.'

"Now, let's end this. Since I can't keep my Devil Token, I'm defenseless again…" 'Sweet. This will end things for sure. Thank you Bann.' "I activate my Monster Reborn, summoning Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon."

"Is that your best? You dragon just adds to my queen's power."

"No, it isn't my best. Let me finish. I activate De-Fusion, breaking him down into two separate Thunder Dragons."

In place of the red dragon, two smaller green dragons took the field.

"Next, I activate a second Devil's Sanctuary, summoning another Metal Devil Token. Now that I have three monsters on the field, it's time to really end this duel. I sacrifice all three to summon…"

'Alright, Jesi. I knew you could do it!' Bann thought happily.

"…to summon Gilford the Lightning!"

Gilford took the field by storm, lifting his large sword into the air and releasing a shower of lightning from the sky. The lightning storm struck all of Donorlen's monsters, reducing them to ash and flame.

"Meet the Ultimate Bug Zapper, my man Gilford! And now that your field is empty, prepare for his ultimate attack!"

"You forget? My DNA Surgery and Insect Barrier combo blocks your attack."

"True… but only as long as Gilford stays part Insect, isn't that right, Gilford?"

"Exactly."

"WHAT! DID YOU JUST…"

"Did I just what?"

"Nevermind, N00b." 'Am I going crazy? Whatever.' "I activate Lightning Strike. This turns Gilford into pure electrical energy, which will be sent right into your soul!"

An aura of lightning surrounded Gilford, who flew at an undefended Donorlen.

"AHHHH!" Don screamed as the Seal enclosed him and sucked out his soul.

Jesi hit the ground but said, "Don't move me. I'm just kissing the ground beneath my feet."

"Well, at least you're okay."

Gilford vanished and the Bashers laughed at Jesi. Bann continued to look around.

'Whoever was out there still is. I don't want to alarm the others.'

"You sure that's a good idea?" Kia asked.

'Not really, but I want to keep on the lookout. Something strange is going on. First, Donorlen is used by the Reckah. Now someone is watching us. Kia. I want you to look around.'

"Okay, Lord Bann."

She turned and vanished.

'I'll get to the bottom of this. I'm coming for you, Darsus.'

The same figure who sat in the bushes was now under a tree, laughing. "Ha ha ha… that was perfect. Donorlen got what was coming to him. I have no idea what Darsus was thinking, sending that N00b out there. He should send and Anim next time. The strongest Anim, me."

"If that is what you want, Jundi, then do it."

"Oh, Garu. It's only you."

"Master Darsus wants you to duel the one named Bann."

"It would be my pleasure. You see, we go a long way back, and I have been waiting for my chance to take him out."

"Whatever. Is your arm healed?"

Jundi lifted his arm. "Why, yes it is. In fact, thanks to this stone, I am more than okay." He unwrapped the bandages on his arm a little. A faint green glow came out of the loosened linens. He then wrapped them up again and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I will cut your throat with my steel." Jundi laughed again, got up and walked off.

Next time on City of Fire: Rivalry


	36. Rivalry

Chapter 36: Rivalry

Deep within the forests of the mountain, a dark figure cloaked in red walked along dust beaten path. He was barely visible in the pale moonlight blocked by the trees overhead.

"I know you're out there. Stop hiding and face me."

"You are truly amazing… what did you call yourself? Oh, that's right. Sagitar the Bloodwing," Garu said, walking out of the trees.

"I see. I've already gotten a reputation even with the Reckah," Sagitar chuckled. "So, what do you want with me?"

"Not me, but my master. He wishes to meet you, the famous Bloodwing who has been to hell and back."

"Not interested."

"But… he can give you a power that is unmatched by any other."

"Tell him he can shove it. I know all about the Reckah and their god, Aether, and the Orichalcos."

"You should really be more respectful."

"You honestly have no idea of the power you hold," Sagitar chuckled again. "A man named Darsus almost destroyed the world with it a long time ago. Of course, history has done a great job of writing his name out."

"Did you say Darsus?"

"Yes, he single handedly destroyed most of his own people just to revive his god, using the power of the Orichalcos to taint the souls of the many into joining his cause. Of course, after his defeat 700 years ago, his people finally got rid of their ruler. If your master is anything like Darsus, I would advise you to be wary"

"…"

"Now, if you don't mind, I have a Dragon to find."

"Wait."

"Hm?"

"If… if you don't join us… I will be forced to take your soul."

"You are prepared to fight a Bloodwing?"

Garu lifted his hands. Two twin swords appeared in his hand. "More than ready."

"You're braver than I thought," Sagitar replied. He opened his cloak, which turned into a pair of large red wings. His eyes turned a bloodshot red and his right hand turned into a black claw. Two long fangs began to protrude from his mouth. He began to spoke, showing his forked tongue. "I will fight you in my half transformed state," he hissed.

Sagitar beat his wings and rose into the air. Garu lifted his swords and charged at the Bloodwing.

­­­­­­­­

"Hey, look at that," Kia pointed down at the forests below.

In the dark night, Bann was keeping guard on his friends. He looked down at the forests as his Cree has beckoned him to.

"What the hell?"

Two bright lights struck a dark aura.

"There's a battle going on down there. I know that aura, but… from where?"

"Should I check it out?"

"No, it's too far for me to project you. For now, let's just ignore it."

"But what if it's Rooko or the others?"

"The dark aura couldn't be coming from Rooko. As for the bright lights… I'm not sure what it is, but it isn't Cree. It's something else… similar, like a weapon."

"So… you don't think it's…"

"No, it isn't. I know it isn't."

click

Bann turned at the sound. "Who's out there!" He got up. Kia vanished.

"Didn't know you liked to talk to yourself, Bann. Then again, you were always a strange one."

'Uh, that voice!' "Is it really…?"

"Glad to see you again too, Bann."

"Morgen!"

Bann had woken up Tiamat, Recks, and Zakei. The four of them sat around the fire with Morgen, who told his tale of how he had gotten there.

"So, you see, I left Rooko and the others. He didn't need me anymore and wanted me to go back Janime. If I had known what was going to happen, I never would have left. When I returned, Lady Janime told me of your quest and sent me to help you."

"So, you must have been trailing us for a while."

"A few days in fact."

The Bashers sat around the fire, silent for a while.

Finally, Bann spoke, "You got down the mountain, back to the city, and back here in a few days… by foot?"

"Um… yeah. I managed to hitch a few rides… and Count Youngblood gave me a lift back."

"Oh, I see."

"Well, at least you're back. Together we can take on Darsus and put and end to this Orichalcos garbage."

"Yeah…"

Bann looked around. His eyes came to rest on Morgen's right arm. "Hey, what happened to your hand?" he asked, gesturing to the bandages that wrapped it.

"This? Um… I injured it. I battled a Reckah while I was trying to get away from the attack."

"Get away? I thought you said you went back by Rooko's orders."

"Yeah, it was an attack… after I left."

"I see."

"Well, enough about me. I say we get some rest. We've got quite the day ahead of us."

"Good idea, Morgen. Hey, why don't you take the next shift?" Tiamat yawned.

"Sure."

"Well, catch ya in the morning."

The four got up and walked into the cave, leaving Morgen in the dark.

"I told you that you weren't a match for me," Sagitar said. He transformed back.

"Damn you," Garu growled.

"You are no threat to me. Go tell your master that if he sends anyone else, I will search him out and kill him."

"You… bastard…"

Sagitar walked off into the woods and vanished.

The next day was filled with dark skies. Thunder crashed in the dark clouds overhead.

"Ah, don't you just love this kind of weather?" Jesi asked as he danced around a bit.

"Only you, Jesi," Vaila replied.

"Oh, come on."

Recks told the others about Morgen. They thought it was great that they now had another ally along with them. Morgen was probably their best lead on where Rooko and the others could possibly be, and if he could track them down, it should be a problem to find their lost friends. Morgen led the way, taking them to where he had last seen Rooko.

"We should probably find a place to rest soon. Who knows when the rain will start?" Vaila told the others.

"You won't have time to rest."

"Who's there?"

"I'm here," said a commanding voice in the trees.

"It… it's that Garu guy."

Garu appeared. His clothes were slightly singed, but he was otherwise exactly like he was on that day, the day Tiamat fought Drake.

"You see, my comrades and I have surrounded you. You will not escape."

"Oh yeah!" Bann yelled.

He ran at Garu but was stopped by Morgen. Morgen pulled his sword out of his sheath with his left hand and stopped Bann from going any further.

"Morgen… what the hell are you doing? We have to stop this guy."

"He isn't your prime concern right now."

"What?"

"The enemy you should be worrying about… IS ME!"

Morgen spun his sword in his hand and charged at Bann.

"What the hell are you do…?" but Bann didn't get to finish. He pulled his own sword from its scabbard and blocked Morgen's strike.

Thunder roared and lightning clashed. The skies opened and rain poured from the heavens.

"Ha ha! Friends to foes. The power of the Orichalcos can overcome even the strongest of hearts. I'll leave you to take care of this," Garu told Morgen. He turned and walked back through the trees.

"Zakei…"

"Yeah?"

"Take the others and follow him."

"Right. What about you?"

"I have unfinished business."

Zakei nodded and ran past Bann and Morgen. The others followed, leaving Bann, Morgen, and Migome who refused to leave.

"Migome! I said go!"

"No, I can't let you two fight."

"It's too late for that, dear, sweet Migome," Morgen responded.

"You're sick, Morgen. I thought you were my friend."

Morgen laughed and lifted his right arm. He slowly unwrapped the bandages, revealing a burnt hand. On his index finger sat a small ring with a green gem fastened into it.

"Wait, that's…"

"I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!"

The green gem ignited with an eerie glow. The Seal surrounded the field. Above Morgen's eyes, which now glowed a deep red, the green hexagram shape appeared, signifying the Seal's protector.

"So… you… you're one of them now…"

"Ha ha ha… mu ha ha ha ha ha ha! Yes, I, Morgen Jundi, am now your executioner!"

"You bastard."

"Just duel."

"You can make the first move, asshole."

"Then I'll start by summoning Armed Samurai – Ben Kei."

The seal appeared on the samurai's forehead, just like on Morgen's. Its eyes glowed red as its power increased.

"I equip my samurai with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade, further increasing Ben Kei's power. After I cast a Spell, I'll end my turn."

"You aren't so great, Morgen." 'Perfect. This will end the duel quickly.' "I summon the Knight of Twin Swords. Then I Special Summon Timaeus."

Together a purple clad knight wielding two blades and the teal dragon or time appeared on the field.

"Now that they're together, I can activate the Special Ability of Timaeus, fusing him with…"

"Not so fast. You've activated my trap! I activate Rivalry of Warlords! You see, we both run Warrior-Type monsters, but now… you have your little dragon. Well, my trap forces you to choose if you would rather play with Dragon-Types or Warrior-Types."

'Then… then I can't use Timaeus' ability to fuse with my knight!' "I return Timaeus to my mind."

"Then it's settled. I have successfully sealed Timaeus from play."

'Damn… he's right.' "I cast a Spell. End turn…"

"Now… you die."

Next time on City of Fire: Dino Storm


	37. Dino Storm

Chapter 37: Dino Storm

"Not so fast. You've activated my trap! I activate Rivalry of Warlords! You see, we both run Warrior-Type monsters, but now… you have your little dragon. Well, my trap forces you to choose if you would rather play with Dragon-Types or Warrior-Types."

'Then… then I can't use Timaeus' ability to fuse with my knight!' "I return Timaeus to my mind."

"Then it's settled. I have successfully sealed Timaeus from play."

'Damn… he's right.' "I cast a Spell. End turn…"

"Now… you die."

"Keep running. We gotta catch up to him sooner or later," Zakei yelled back at the others.

"Yeah… but what if this is a…" Tiamat started. Before he could finish, a flaming arrow whizzed by him. "Whoa, that was close. I think it was a warning shot."

All five of the Bashers stopped where they were. Suddenly, the air was filled with flaming arrows falling light shooting stars.

"Watch out!"

The Bashers continued to run, ducking and dodging the arrows as they set areas of the forest on fire. Finally, they came to a clearing, where Garu stood waiting. In his hand, he held a bow, nocked with a flaming arrow.

"Watch out!" Recks yelled as Garu released the arrow aimed at Zakei. He pushed Zakei out of the way and was hit with the burning dart. "Ahhh…"

"Recks… You saved me…"

"No prob."

"Foolish Anim," Garu laughed. He pulled back the string on his bow. Magically, a new arrow appeared in the nock and ignited itself. "This will finish you."

He released the arrow and it flew at Recks. It then split into five separate arrows.

"I summon Ankyloshield."

An armored Dino rose up from the earth. It's hard shell deflected the arrows.

"Well, that's impressive. You're a quick thinker."

"Enough games, Garu. What did you bring us out here for?"

"So glad you asked. If you want to find Darsus, he's up that trail. As for you friends, the lost ones, I know where they are as well," Garu responded, pointing his finger from a trail that led up the mountain to another that led back down.

"We can't trust you. You've been leading us into a trap," Recks responded, pulling the arrow out of his shoulder.

"I never lie. I will swear upon… well no matter what you won't believe me. However, just look up there." Garu pointed back up the path where he said Darsus was. At the top, a green light could faintly be seen. "So you see, that is where the souls collect. Darsus waits there, feeding the Beast."

"My turn, Bann," Morgen stated. He drew his sword from the sheath with his damaged right arm. The green glow of the Orichalcos covered his arm and his sword.

"I've been meaning to ask, what happened to your arm. You normally aren't so careless."

"It's the mark of the Orichalcos. To accept its power, I must endure its pain. Only then can one truly master it. You wouldn't understand, Bann."

"Right. Just make your move."

"Ben Kei, attack his Knight of Twin Swords!"

"I activate Knight's Seal."

"You've triggered another trap of mine. I activate Spell Shielding. This prevents you from using your trap on my Rivalry of Warlords trap."

"Don't worry. I wasn't targeting your trap. I was targeting Ben Kei so he can't attack a second time."

The Knight Seal appeared at Ben Kei's feet. His effect was nullified.

"He can still perform one attack. Ben Kei, strike!"

Ben Kei leapt into the air and slashed the Knight of Twin Swords with the Fusion Sword. The Knight of Twin Swords blocked the attack, but was still destroyed after being impaled by Ben Kei's spear.

"I'll cast a Spell. Your move."

"So, you aren't lying about that," Recks answered. "I guess you aren't a liar after all. Zakei, Tiamat. You two go after Darsus. He's afraid of your Dragons so you must be the key to beating him. Vaila, you and Jesi head the other direction. With any luck, you might find the others after all."

"What about you?" Vaila asked.

"I'm going to beat the pulp out of this guy."

'Fat chance kid.'

"Recks, be careful. We don't want to lose anymore friends."

"Don't worry about me. Now go."

Zakei and Tiamat headed off. Vaila and Jesi went the other way.

"So, you really intend to take me on? I can't say that's been your first mistake… but oh well. How about I make it easier on you? I won't even use the Seal of Orichalcos."

"Fine by me. That'll just make it easier to beat you."

"Right… DUEL!"

"My turn, and I summon Gold Knight. With his effect, I can automatically summon Dark Blade."

Bann's two knights appeared on the field. They stared at Ben Kei.

"Now, would you look at that? My monsters have equal attack to your Ben Kei. So much for the Seal of Orichalcos giving you so much power. Now, before I can call my attack, I activate Polymerization, fusing Dark Blade with the Pitch-Dark Dragon in my hand to form Dark Blade the Dragon Knight. Now, attack Ben Kei!"

Dark Blade swooped down to strike Ben Kei with his two swords.

"Not so fast. I activate Sacrifice. This allows me to perform a Tribute Summon on your turn. Now, I sacrifice Armed Samurai – Ben Kei to summon Total Defense Shogun!"

Ben Kei vanished. In his place, a heavily shielded warrior wielding a large sword appeared. On his forehead, the Seal glowed and his eyes reddened. Dark Blade flew right over the new warrior, awaiting a new command from his master.

'Damn, that thing's defense. It's too much.' "I end my turn."

"Good. Now, Shogun, attack Gold Knight!"

Total Defense Shogun lifted his large sword, dropping it on Gold Knight, whose head split in two before his body vanished.

"Your move."

'Perfect. I have just the thing to take out your Shogun.' "I start by activating De-Fusion. Since I can't keep both Dark Blade and Pitch-Dark Dragon on the field, I'll return the Dragon to my hand."

"You could've summoned Timaeus if you had kept Pitch-Dark Dragon on the field."

"True, but Pitch-Dark Dragon is far too weak to summon with Timaeus, and I would rather save him for later. Besides, I have something better in store for you. I activate Union Summoner, allowing me to equip a Union Monster in my mind with my Dark Blade."

"Then… you are just going to equip Dark Blade with Pitch-Dark Dragon again?"

"Wrong. There is another dragon that Dark Blade can unite with. I summon Kiryu! Now fuse with Dark Blade!"

A much larger dragon with red skin appeared. Dark Blade jumped into the air, landing on the back of the new dragon.

"Dark Blade Kiryu, attack Total Defense Shogun!"

Kiryu let out a fireball and Dark Blade swung his swords, launching two blades of energy. The three attacks combined and struck the Shogun's shield. The shield shattered and Total Defense Shogun was ripped into a million pieces that were burned in Kiryu's fire.

"I'll start us off," Garu said. "I summon a shadow monster. That'll end my turn."

'That's it? What's this guy pulling? Fine, I'll just have to use… crap.' "I Special Summon Gilasaurus. Then I summon Velocisaurus." 'These two aren't that strong… but they're the best monsters I've got in my opening turn. Shit.' "Gilasaurus, attack his shadow monster."

Gilasaurus ran at the shadows, striking it with its long tail. The shadows dispersed to reveal Arsenal Summoner, who blocked the attack.

"My Arsenal Summoner gives me the power to add one Guardian Cree to my mind. I choose Guardian Trouse."

"I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"Good. I equip Arsenal Summoner with Gravity Axe – Grarl. Then I activate Guardian's Treasure. By giving up all the Cree in my mind, I can add two new Cree to my mind and do the same during each of my turns." Garu closed his eyes and concentrated for a second. Then he opened his eyes and laughed. "Excellent. I cast a Spell and summon Guardian Grarl. Then I activate the Spell I just cast, Tailor of the Fickle, giving my Guardian Grarl his axe."

The axe transferred to Grarl's hands.

"Now Grarl, attack his Gilasaurus!"

Grarl charged at Gilasaurus. Recks was in awe of the great Dino that was charging at him. It was amazing that Garu could summon something like that.

"Recks, you have to do something!"

'Huh? Oh yeah.' He shook his head. "I activate Canyon Breaking!"

A huge crack in the ground between Recks and Garu opened, preventing Grarl from reaching Recks' Dinos.

"That would make it my turn, and I sacrifice Gilasaurus to summon Sailadon."

Sailadon, a large, blue, sea-faring dinosaur, took the place of Gilasaurus. With his power, Recks was able to add a new Cree to his mind.

"Now Sailadon, attack Arsenal Summoner!"

Sailadon let out a supersonic howl, destroying the cloaked magician.

"Grr…"

"Didn't like that, did you? Well, get used to your monsters being destroyed."

"I seriously doubt that. I'm sorry, Arsenal Summoner. I promise you that I won't let anymore comrades fall for the rest of the duel."

"You… you can't be serious. There is no way you can keep every single one of your monsters from going to the Graveyard."

"Try me, Recks Syprus. Unlike you, I care for my Guardians, and I won't let them die."

'Wow, he looks serious… no way he can keep his vow, though. It's just impossible.'

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. He looks awful sure of himself."

'Yeah…?'

"Oh, you can see me again. Well, that's good."

'Cave Girl?'

"Yeah?"

'Never mind. Thank you.' "I cast a Spell. Your move, Garu. Let's see if you can keep your boast."

"Very well. I'll start by summoning a shadow monster and casting a Spell. Now, Guardian Grarl, attack his Sailadon with Decisive Impact!"

Grarl lifted his axe and swung it at the Sailadon, who split in half from the blow.

"That's my move."

"Good move, but your Dark Blade and Kiryu won't be on the field for long."

"You sure about that?"

"Quite sure. I start by activating Cost Down, decreasing the Level of every Cree in my mind. This allows me to summon Zanki without a sacrifice."

A red-armored samurai wearing a blue mask over his face appeared form the darkness. He drew his sword as the Seal of Orichalcos appeared on his forehead. Through the eye slits of the mask, all that could be seen was a bright red light.

"Now, I equip Zanki with Sword Crusher."

A large, heavy sword appeared in Zanki's left hand.

"Zanki, attack Dark Blade Kiryu!"

Zanki jumped into the air, unhindered by the weight of the large sword. He struck Kiryu with the Sword Crusher, destroying the dragon. He dropped the large sword and he and Dark Blade began a mid-air battle as they fell. Zanki was too much for the knight and was destroyed.

"I see my samurai are too much for you knights, Bann. You are no match for my might."

"We'll see about that." 'You're a sight for sore eyes. Welcome back…' "Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

Gearfried appeared beside Bann.

'Great to see you again, old friend.'

"You too, Lord Bann."

'Enough with the "Lord" stuff. Let's go show this clown what we're made of.'

"Alright."

"Since Gearfried can't take on Zanki at the moment, I'll just cast a Spell. Your turn, Morgen."

"Zanki, attack!"

Zanki charged at Gearfried, who lifted his shield to block. Zanki struck the shield, but his attack was converted into life energy, fed directly into Bann.

"What?"

"My trap, Morgen. You didn't think. I activated Draining Shield."

"I had a feeling you set that. That's why I drew it out with my attack. I cast two Spells. Go."

"Fine. I activate Release Restraint. This breaks Gearfried out of his Iron Armor."

'I can't let him strike my life.' "I activate Book of Moon, covering Zanki in shadow."

"Thank you."

"What?"

"You've just made my job easier. I summon Nobleman of Crossout and Nobleman of Extermination."

A blonde haired knight and a large sword wielding, bearded knight appeared on either side of Gearfried. The Nobleman of Crossout lifted his light blade and swung it at the shadows, releasing a ray of light that destroyed Zanki. Nobleman of Extermination lifted his large sword and struck the ground, destroying the set Sakuretsu Armor trap that Morgen had cast.

"No…"

"You're wide open. Gearfried, attack!"

The two noblemen vanished, leaving Gearfried with a clear path and Nobleman of Crossout's sword. Gearfried picked up the blade and ran at Morgen, striking him across the chest.

"AAAHhh ga gak gak…"

"This will be all over, soon."

"Not… not if I have anything to say about it."

"You don't have a choice. I cast two Spells. Go."

"I summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman."

The blue-armored samurai, Morgen's favorite Cree, would now face off against Bann's greatest defender, Gearfried the Swordmaster.

"I activate Premature Burial, reviving my Armed Samurai – Ben Kei. Now, I activate Bushido Mastery, sacrificing Ben Kei so that Masaki can become a true samurai."

Thunder crashed. The rain began to beat down harder. The Seal didn't hold back the forces of nature, so Bann and Morgen were now soaked. They both lifted their swords.

"This is it. So shall our greatest Cree clash, we will as well."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Samurai Masaki, attack Gearfried. Your favorite monster won't survive this."

"I wouldn't count on it."

The two men ran at each other. Their blades clashed in the rain. Gearfried and Masaki did the same. Gearfried's sword broke from Masaki's might.

"Your… Gearfried is losing…"

"No… I activate Shining Armor, turning Gearfried into a knight. Also, I activate Knight Shield."

The silvery armor appeared over Gearfried along with a shield that blocked Masaki's attack.

"You saved him, but you won't do it again. I cast a Spell."

"Oh yeah? I equip Gearfried with Holy Sword. This increases his attack and allows him to immediately destroy Masaki!"

Gearfried lunged at Masaki as Bann and Morgen continued to clash their swords. The rain didn't hinder their battle as they matched blow for blow. Masaki and Gearfried also met blow for blow. Both men and their Cree were equally matched still.

"Masaki can't be destroyed by an effect. Only in battle will he die."

"Then so be it. Their attacks are equal, but the Holy Sword prevents Gearfried from being destroyed in battle when attacking a monster with equal strength."

Gearfried attacked Masaki again, but his attack was blocked and transferred to Morgen's life.

"You… aren't the only one… who has a Draining Shield trap."

"I see…"

CLANG

"Your swordsmanship has… improved… Bann."

"Same to you."

"You never could beat me, one-on-one." Morgen made a spinning motion with his sword. "Shadow Twister!"

Morgen spun the sword and twirled his body, ducking out of the way of Bann's attack. The spinning of the sword and Morgen's body made the blade spin out of the control. Bann jumped up, just barely missing the blade, but was hit when the sword spun around again.

"Argg!" Bann yelled as he fell back. Blood covered his clothes.

"Bann! Morgen, stop this. Please!"

"I'm sorry Migome, but I need to finish this."

"Suit… suit your… yourself. You should have listened to the lady. I cast a Spell."

"And I activate Kishido Spirit. Since both of our monsters can't destroy each other, this should prove to be quite the battle!"

"You said it. Gearfried…"

"Masaki!"

"ATTACK!" they both yelled.

Bann and Morgen continued their fight alongside their Cree. Migome could do nothing but watch as the two former friends fought to the death.

"I activate Call of the Haunted, Special Summoning Sailadon," Recks called. "Now, I sacrifice Sailadon to summon Long-Neck Guardian."

A large brontosaurus stomped onto the field.

"Now, attack the shadow monster with Stamping Fury!"

Long-Neck Guardian dropped a heavy foot onto the shadow monster, revealed to be Backup Guardna.

"So much for protecting you monster!"

"I activate Guardian Defense. This protects my Guardna from destruction."

'Damn, he did save his monster… and even at the cost of some life.'

"Confused? I told you that you wouldn't understand the bond with my Cree."

"I end my turn."

"I equip Backup Guardna with Rod of Silence – Kay'est. This increases his defense and lets me summon Guardian Kay'est. Guardian Grarl, attack his Long-Neck Guardian!"

"My Long-Neck Guardian has the ability to transfer an attack to another monster and increase that monster's attack."

Velocisaurus jumped in front of Long-Neck Guardian. His attack power increased due to his effect along with Long-Neck's. Grarl easily cut through the small Dinosaur, but two more took its place.

"My Velocisauruses hunt in packs."

"You care nothing about your Cree. You got rid of one just to save another. Never leave a man behind. Don't sacrifice one just to save the others. You must protect them all, just as they protect you."

"Garu…"

"I cast a Spell. Your turn."

"… I activate Polymerization, fusing my Velocisauruses to Fusion Summon Traptor. Traptor gains attack if I have another monster on the field. Then, I add in two Raise Body Heats, making him just strong enough to destroy your Guardian Grarl. Traptor, attack!"

"I activate Guardian Formation, negating your Traptor's attack. I can then add an Equipment Spell to my mind. Now, I activate the Shooting Star Bow – Ceal."

The same bow that Garu was using earlier appeared on the field.

"I then summon Guardian Ceal, equipping him with the Shooting Star Bow. Guardian Ceal, attack!"

Ceal pulled back the bowstring. A fiery arrow appeared in the nock, launching straight at Recks. Ceal then pulled back the bowstring again, launching another arrow at Traptor. The dinosaur vanished in flames. Ceal's bow also disappeared.

"I cast a Spell. Your turn, Recks."

"Fine, I summon my Archaeopteryx. Then, I activate Ultra Evolution Pill – Revised Formula."

Archaeopteryx began to mutate, turning into a dark gray dinosaur with orange stripes.

"I activate Earthquake. This will switch all of your Guardians to defense position, allowing me to attack you directly."

"No, I activate Guardian Force! This negates your Earthquake spell."

The earth began to shake, but Grarl hit the ground with his Gravity Axe, subduing the movement of the ground.

'He… he negated another one of my moves. He can counter everything I do.' "I activate Fairy of the Spring and end my turn."

"I cast a Spell," Bann said.

"So do I. Now, let's see who truly is the greatest swordsman!" Morgen taunted.

"Fine with me!" Bann yelled back.

The two attacked each other again. Gearfried and Masaki remained in locked combat, neither one faltering or weakening. Bann and Morgen's swords clashed. They countered each other's attack swiftly. They were truly both great swordsmen. Migome continued to watch in awe of the two's fighting style.

"I think it's time to end this…" Bann said. His face was a mere few inches from Morgen's, who agreed. "I activate Megas Saber, increasing Gearfried's attack.

"And I counter with Duos Saber, giving Masaki an attack boost."

"So, we thought the same thing. I can't beat you, Morgen. You know me too well."

"Huh? What are you…?"

"I will not hold my Guardians even in death. I activate Soul Release, releasing Guardian Trouse and Arsenal Summoner's souls. Along with them, I destroy your Ultra Evolution Pill, Earthquake, and Meteor of Destruction Spells. Since I don't have any monsters in my Grave, I can now activate this: Revival of Elemental Blade!"

A large, clear sword rose up from the earth. The rain above poured down on the sword and wind wrapped around the edges. Fire filled the clear blade and the four elements met. Lightning struck behind the sword and a man with blue hair appeared, grabbing the sword from where it lay lifting it into the air.

"Meet my Guardian Fayt, who I give the Elemental Blade."

"You Guardian is a Ritual Monster. You need to sacrifice monsters to summon him."

"That is true, normally. But when my Graveyard is empty, the Revival Ritual requires no sacrifice in return for being so good to my monsters. So you can see, by releasing to souls of the monsters I that did die by my hand, shows my kindness. However, I can't say the same of you. Guardian Grarl, attack Dark Tyranno."

Grarl lifted his axe and swung at the tyrant lizard, destroying it in one mighty blow.

'Damn him…'

"Your move."

"I equip Long-Neck Guardian with Raise Body Heat. Then, I have it attack your Guardian Fayt."

Long-Neck Guardian let out another supersonic howl aimed at Fayt. Fayt lifted his sword to block, but he wasn't strong enough. However, only the Elemental Blade vanished. In its stead, the Shooting Star Bow appeared in his hand.

"What?"

"I can send an Equipment Spell that Guardian Fayt holds to my grave in order to stop him from being destroyed. Also, when my Elemental Blade goes to the grave, I can equip a Spell from my grave to Fayt, so I chose the Shooting Star Bow. Now Fayt, use the power of the Shooting Star Bow!"

Fayt pulled back the bowstring and unleashed an arrow that struck Recks in his left leg.

"Ahhh…" he moaned from the sharp burning pain.

"I activate Lock of Nightmare, chaining your Long-Neck Guardian. Then, a cast Spell and that will end my turn."

"Ehhh…grr… you'll regret that. I activate Deepest Impact!"

"No, you'll destroy both of our monsters!"

"Yeah, but I have no other choice."

"I won't let you!"

The meteor shower flew down from the air, but Garu jumped in front of his monsters to protect them, taking the hit of every last meteorite.

"I will use My Body as a Shield. Ahh…"

'He really is willing to do anything to protect his monsters…' "I understand Garu. I won't destroy your Guardians. I will have to find a different way to get around them. I cast a Spell and summon Hyper Hammerhead. Now, attack Guardian Fayt."

Hyper Hammerhead struck Guardian Fayt with its strangely built face. Fayt block with the Shooting Star Bow, which shattered. Then, the Hammerhead struck again, returning Fayt to Garu's mind.

"Thank you. However, I must end this."

"I won't go down without a fight."

"I activate a second Soul Release. This allows me to destroy your Deepest Impact, Polymerization, and Raise Body Heat. Then, I activate Celestial Sword – Eatos. This allows me to Special Summon my Guardian Eatos. Eatos, take up your sword and unveil your judgment."

Eatos lifted the long, slim blade into the air. All of monsters that Recks played during the duel appeared transparently next to Eatos.

"Do you see these? They are the souls of the monsters that you used during this duel. You betrayed them, letting them die. However, you did not let them rest, keeping them tethered to your soul. However, I have released them, and now, together, we shall destroy you."

The souls of the eight fallen dinosaurs were absorbed by Eatos' sword.

"Eatos, attack him!"

Eatos spread here white wings and flew down to destroy all that Recks had left.

"I activate Jurassic Unleash."

Long-Neck Guardian and Hyper Hammerhead vanished. In their place, a large white tyrannosaurus stepped onto the field. He roared as the souls that Eatos had absorbed were sucked out of the sword into Tyranno Infinity. Tyranno Infinity was still no match for Eatos and was destroyed. The intense force of the attack threw Recks against a tree.

"Good, you didn't die. That means I can still use you."

Garu walked over to Recks and picked up his still body.

"I activate Megas Saber, increasing Gearfried's attack.

"And I counter with Duos Saber, giving Masaki an attack boost."

"So, we thought the same thing. I can't beat you, Morgen. You know me too well."

"Huh? What are you…?"

"I activate Final Attack!"

Gearfried and Masaki stepped back, about to face off in one final move.

Morgen jumped back. He had no idea what was about to happen. Gearfried and Masaki charged, slashing with their swords, stopping back-to-back.

Next time on City of Fire: Double Trouble


	38. Double Trouble

Chapter 38: Double Trouble

"I activate Megas Saber, increasing Gearfried's attack.

"And I counter with Duos Saber, giving Masaki an attack boost."

"So, we thought the same thing. I can't beat you, Morgen. You know me too well."

"Huh? What are you…?"

"I activate Final Attack!"

Gearfried and Masaki stepped back, about to face off in one final move.

Morgen jumped back. He had no idea what was about to happen. Gearfried and Masaki charged, slashing with their swords, stopping back-to-back. Both warriors coughed up blood as they hit the ground, dropping the Megas and Duos Sabers.

"My… Masaki. What did you do?"

"Final Attack negates all effects of monsters and spells and forces the two strongest monsters on the field to battle. Only effects that change the Attack of the battling monsters remain active, so you see, with equal attacks, Gearfried and Masaki destroyed each other." 'I'm sorry Gearfried.'

"I will protect you with my life, Lord Bann."

"Ma…Masaki…"

"Oh, and one last thing. After the battle, we both take damage equal to the other's Attack."

Red light shot down from the heavens and struck Bann and Morgen. Both screamed from the insane force of the energy and hit the ground. They dropped their swords and slowly made their way back to a slightly slouched and standing position.

"Just a little farther, I hope," Zakei told Tiamat as they raced through the trees.

"You said that twenty minutes ago!" Tiamat yelled behind him.

"Yeah? Well I was wrong then. So sue me!"

whoosh

"What the hell was that?" asked Tiamat.

"You two? Get out of here," yelled a dark figure overhead.

"Sagitar?"

Sagitar landed in front of the others. "You've got to move. There's a large creature heading this way. I can't beat it."

"Then what makes you think that we can't?"

"Suit yourself. If you die, don't mind if I harvest your souls. I'm quite hungry and this mountain is sucking out my strength."

Sagitar opened his cloak. The red cloth became two large wings. He lifted into the air and took off.

THUMP

"Maybe we should move."

"We can't. Our path lies forward. We'll just have to break our way through. Just because a Bloodwing couldn't destroy something, doesn't mean that we can't either. Besides, we have Dragons."

"You got a plan?"

"Nope."

"Good."

THUMP

"This thing's big. You sure you don't want to run?" Tiamat asked.

"Actually, on second thought," Zakei turned and the two started to run off, hoping they might be able figure out how to get past whatever was coming to after them.

Suddenly, a man jumped out of the trees overhead and blocked their path.

"You two aren't going anywhere."

"You hear that?"

"Huh?"

"The thumping stopped. That was your Cree, huh?"

"Yes, yes it was."

"Then all I have to do is beat you."

"It won't be so easy," said a voice behind them.

Tiamat and Zakei turned to see an identical man.

"What the hell?"

"You can call me Atrop," said the one behind them.

"And I am Aletut," said the other.

"And together," they both said, jumping into the air and landing behind Zakei and Tiamat, "are the twin Rotaruc Brothers. We challenge you to a duel!"

"Fine, I get one, you get the other, Tiamat?"

"No," the Rotarucs responded.

"What do you mean 'No'?" Zakei demanded.

"We challenge you two a double duel. The two of us take on the both of you."

"Well, I guess. That sound alright with you?"

"Yeah, I'm itching to take out a few pests," Tiamat answered.

"Fine, but we must warn you."

"As twins, our Cree has developed to work together."

"To…gether?"

"Yes, so we have trained to have perfect teamwork."

"I cannot say the same to you, though."

"Let's see if you have what it takes…"

"…to match our combined might!"

"Oh man, I've read about this, Zakei."

"Yeah?"

"When twins are born with the power to create Cree, they generally create the same type of monsters. This means that they can combine them to form even greater monsters. Think about it. A person can only do so much on his own, but together, their shared Cree is almost limitless!"

"Yeah? Well we can still take them on. I don't back down."

"You will wish…"

"…you hadn't said that."

"I will start. I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!" yelled Atrop.

"What? The Seal already?"

Atrop lifted his left hand into the air. On his index finger sat a green gem studded ring. Aletut then lifted his right hand to show an identical ring on his index finger. The gems glowed and above a turquoise ring appeared in the sky. The ring spun and landed on the ground, surrounding Tiamat and Zakei. A light on the ground traced the familiar hexagram shape, completing the Seal. On both of the brother's foreheads, the Seal appeared above their red glowing eyes.

"You are now caught in the Seal of Orichalcos. Beat us and you are freed."

"Lose to us and your souls are forever lost," Atrop warned. "I will end my turn by setting a shadow monster."

"Very well. Mind if I do the honors?" Zakei asked?

"Go ahead," Tiamat answered.

Zakei nodded. "Now, I summon Skilled Dark Magician and end my turn with two Spells cast."

"Now it's my turn," Aletut said. "I summon Kaiser Seahorse. Then I too cast a Spell. Your move."

"I cast a Spell and summon Baby Dragon."

"What is that pathetic dragon going to do?"

"Age, that's what."

Baby Dragon began to grow older. His wings enlarged and his skin darkened. He rose into the sky and blew a bit of flames.

"Meet my Hundred Dragon. He'll blow you away. That ends my turn."

'Why didn't he attack? He could have. Damn him,' Zakei wondered.

"Good, because now I reveal my Arsenal Summoner from the shadows. He allows me to add a monster with Guardian in its name to my mind, and I have the perfect one thought out. However, more on him later."

'What could that monster be?' Tiamat thought.

"Now, I activate Tribute Doll. This lets me sacrifice my Arsenal Summoner to Special Summon a high level monster, and I choose Kazejin!"

The spirit of the wind, a large green spherical monster, appeared in Arsenal Summoner's place.

"However, because I used Tribute Doll, I can't attack this turn. Oh well. Your move… Zakei was it?"

"Damn right. I activate Table of Contents. This allows me to use another Spell in my Creepool. I choose Cost Down. Then, I summon Dark Magician Girl. Also, thanks to your Tribute Doll, that makes a total of three Spells played during this game, so I can also sac my Skilled Dark Magician to Special Summon the original Dark Magician."

Zakei's Dark Magician duo took the field. Sadly, as strong as they were, they were no match for Kazejin. However, they were a match for…

"Dark Magician Girl, attack Kaiser Seahorse! Dark Burning Attack!"

"You forget my trap?" Aletut asked. "I may not be able to defend myself, but I can use A Rival Appears to Special Summon the monster I was going to summon using Kaiser Seahorse's effect. Go Sanga of the Thunder!"

A large, floating, golden torso appeared with two large arms.

'Great, another one of those strong monsters. Wait a second…' "Tiamat, they're using a quick summoning tactic. Don't worry, as strong as these monsters they are summoning are, we can beat them."

'No… no you're wrong Zakei. I don't know what it is, but I'm sensing something… darker.'

"Well, I cast two Spells. Your move, Aletut."

"I activate Stray Lambs. This allows me to Special Summon two Sheep Tokens. I can now activate my trap, Double Sum. Since Stray Lambs prevents me from making a Normal Summon this turn, my Double Sum negates that adverse effect. Now, I can easily sacrifice both my sheep, but that won't be much fun, so instead, I choose to activate Soul Exchange."

Dark Magician's soul was extracted and appeared on Aletut's side of the field.

"Since I don't much like your magician, I sacrifice its soul along with my Sheep Token to summon Suijin."

Two large, blue legs with a face on its waist was summoned next to the remaining Sheep Token. Without a soul, Dark Magician collapsed and vanished.

"That will end my turn."

"I'll start mine with Level Swap. Returning Hundred Dragon to my mind, I can Special Summon a monster with an equal level. I choose Armed Dragon." 'Those monsters are too strong. I can't use the Genocide Cutter or the Armed Punisher. I know I've seen them before.' "I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"Time to say goodbye to your Armed Dragon. Kazejin, attack!"

Kazejin blew a large gust of wind at Armed Dragon, but the dragon appeared underneath three top hats.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"What? We can't use teamwork too? I activated my trap, Magical Hats, to hide Tiamat's dragon. I also hid a few more things in there."

"Fine, I'll start by attacking the hat on the left!"

"Bad move."

Kazejin blew a gust of wind at the hat on the left, revealing a statue. The statue was destroyed and a strange creature appeared where the statue was and swam through the air until it reached Zakei.

"When you destroyed my Statue of the Wicked, you unleashed the Wicked Token."

"You may have thwarted my attack, but I think it's time to reveal that Guardian I added to my mind earlier. I won't summon it yet… but I want you to understand what you are dealing with," Atrop laughed. "I activate Ante. So? Choose your monster. I choose mine."

"Fine, I'll show you Magician of Black Chaos!" Zakei yelled back. The spirit of Magician of Black Chaos appeared behind him.

"I'm sorry, but you lose," Atrop laughed.

"What… what's so funny?"

Aletut began to laugh as well. Behind them, an enormous dark spirit appeared, stronger than anything the two Bashers had ever faced.

"Gate…"

"…Guardian."

"No…no way. Not him."

"Tiamat?"

"Gate Guardian has been called one of the single most powerful creatures ever created. Its power rivals that of a god."

"A… a god?"

"He is almost impossible to summon, but…"

"But what?"

"What your partner is trying to say is that we've assembled all the necessary parts," Atrop replied.

"We've been able to summon our Guardian for quite some time, but we've been toying with you," Aletut finished.

"Then I'll just have to stop you. I activate Monster Reincarnation, bringing back Dark Magician. Then I sacrifice the Wicked Token and Dark Magician Girl to summon Dark Magician."

Dark Magician lifted his staff and aimed at the three divine elementals.

"Now I give Dark Magician the Magic Tome, increasing his attack. Dark Magician, attack Suijin!"

Dark Magician nodded and yelled, "Dark Magic Attack!"

A large blast of black magic shot out of the staff's gem and flew at Suijin, who countered with a shield of water, deflecting Dark Magician's attack back at him. Zakei hit the ground, from the attack.

"I… use Magician's Tome."

The tome appeared in front of Zakei. He opened the book and light shined out, refilling some of his lost life. The book then disappeared.

"You can't destroy them now. They can protect themselves with their powers."

'Dark Magician is gone. Now, I've got nothing to defend myself…' "I…I end… I end my turn."

Tiamat turned to look at Zakei, staring in disbelief. 'No… no you… Zakei!'

"How unfortunate. I activate Exchange, taking my brother's Gate Guardian…"

"…in exchange for his Flame Lord."

"Then I activate Ante."

Gate Guardian's spirit appeared on the field again, inflicting more damage to Zakei and Tiamat.

"I'll get rid of Hundred Dragon."

"And now, I'll finish you! Suijin, Sanga, attack Zakei directly!"

Suijin and Sanga let out twin attacks of water and lighting.

"I activate Armed Defense!" Tiamat yelled.

Armed Dragon jumped in front of Zakei. Both attacks hit Armed Dragon and dispersed.

"My turn, and I activate Level Up! Armed Dragon, evolve!"

Armed Dragon grew. Blades sprouted out of many parts of his body in place of the spikes. He was truly a sight to behold.

"I'll cast a Spell. You're move, Atrop."

"Kazejin! Attack directly!"

Kazejin shot out a gust of wind that wrapped around Zakei, who hit the ground, practically unconscious.

"I… I won't… lose…"

"You look pretty pathetic down there. Why don't you just skip your turn so we can finish you."

Zakei stretched out his arms and lifted himself up. He slowly stood. A dark blue dragon began to reveal itself without command.

"Cri…Critias!" the Rotaruc brothers cried.

"I… cast two… Spells… and fuse… Critias… with Mage Power, forming… Mage's Dragon Ultima."

A dragon resembling Critias adorned with ritualistic garbs and jewels and covered in magical energy flew above the Seal. It let out a large blast of magical energy from its mouth, shattering Suijin.

"You… you destroyed the elemental of water!"

"Yeah! Zakei, you did it! You should have summoned Gate Guardian when you had the chance!"

"We still can…"

"I activate Monster Reborn, reviving Suijin. Then I combine Sanga of the Thunder, Kazejin, and Suijin to form Gate Guardian!"

The three monsters formed up. At the bottom, Suijin made the creature's legs. Kazejin made up the lower torso of the guardian. Finally, at the very top lay Sanga, whose large upper body and arms was a perfect fit for Gate Guardian.

"Gate Guardian, attack Dragon Ultima!"

"You… you're defenseless now. This is my chance to kill you."

"That's if you can miraculously pull what you need from that twisted soul of yours."

Morgen snarled at the remark. Then he summoned Trample Shogun, attacking Bann directly.

"AAAAHHHhhh!" Bann screamed as the Shogun's spear impaled him. He hit the ground, covered in blood now. "You… bastard… I set a monster…"

"I attack your set monster using Trample Shogun's effect. By slightly lowering his attack, I can deal damage to you!"

Trample Shogun slashed the shadow monster with his sword, revealing Queen's Knight, who was destroyed. Once again, Bann grabbed his sides in pain.

"Now, I activate Treasure from Heaven, refilling our minds with Cree and Spells. I cast three Spells and end my turn."

"I set a monster and cast a Spell."

"This is it Bann. I attack your set monster."

Trample Shogun struck the shadow monster. Bann revealed his Hallowed Life Barrier, protecting himself from the damage.

"You've revealed my Familiar Knight. I can now Special Summon Holy Knight from my mind. Then I summon Guardian Knight. I… end my turn."

Holy Knight lifted his sword, showering light on Bann, refilling some of his life.

"I attack your Holy Knight!"

Holy Knight was destroyed, and once again, Bann took the damage.

"I skip my turn…"

"Attack Guardian Knight!"

Trample Shogun struck Guardian Knight with his spear but didn't deal any damage.

"I summon Steed of the Fierce Knight. This stallion allows me to Special Summon Gaia the Lone Knight or add him to my mind. Then I activate Polymerization, fusing Gaia and his steed to form Gaia the Dark Knight. Attack Trample Shogun!"

Gaia and the Shogun charged each other on their horses, lance and spear in hand…

"I activate Negate Attack!" Zakei called.

Gate Guardian's triple strike was swallowed up.

"Damn you. I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"Awesome. It's time to show you what two dragons can do. I activate another Level Swap, trading in my Armed Dragon for my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Then I activate Polymerization, fusing Warrior Dai Grepher and Spirit Ryu to form Ryu Senshi."

Warrior Dai Grepher appeared in purple, dragon skin armor and a double bladed sword.

"What will you have me do?"

'You'll see, Dai.' "I Special Summon Hermos!"

The Red Dragon appeared.

"I now fuse Hermos with Red-Eyes Black Dragon to form the Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword."

"I can't wield that."

'Don't worry. This sword is special.'

Dai grabbed the black saber in his left hand. As he picked it up, a great power began to grow within him.

"Finally, I summon Armed Dragon. Now let me fill you in on this sword's power. It strengthens whoever wields it. Then it further powers them up by the number of dragons on the field. Finally, I activate Block Attack, switching your Gate Guardian to defense position. Ryu Senshi attack!"

Dai jumped into the air with the Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword, about to strike Gate Guardian.

"Not so fast. I activate my first trap, Waboku!"

A barrier surrounded Gate Guardian, protecting him from Dai's attack. Dai was thrown back onto the field.

'Damn. That would have been the perfect shot.' "I activate Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension, cast a Spell, and end my turn."

"Ha ha!" Atrop laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"I was just wondering, would you like a taste of our power? Would you like to use the Seal of Orichalcos for yourselves?"

"What do you mean?"

"So glad you asked. I activate Field Transferal!"

The Seal of Orichalcos beneath them began to spin. The Seal above the eyes of the Rotarucs vanished and their eyes returned to normal. Gate Guardian's attack decreased as it too lost the power of the Seal.

"What's happening!"

"You'll see."

The Seal stopped spinning. The symbols in the ring now faced and opposite direction from when they began.

"What did you…AHHHHaahhhh!" Tiamat screamed. Zakei began to scream as well as dark auras overtook the too.

On their foreheads, the Seal appeared above red glowing eyes.

"So… this is the power of the Orichalcos…" Zakei said darkly.

"It actually feels… refreshing," Tiamat laughed.

"You two are going to wish you never gave this to us. You've just powered up our monsters, who were already strong enough to take down your Gate Guardian."

"Were they? Look at them again."

The dark aura of the Orichalcos covered the Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword and Mage's Dragon Ultima.

"What's happening to them?"

"Orichalcos magic and the Dragons don't mix."

The dragon sword split back into Hermos and Red-Eyes. Then Hermos vanished in a black flames. Dragon Ultima changed back into Critias, who disappeared the same way Hermos did.

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" Zakei yelled, "Special Summoning Dark Magician, who I equip with Mage Power." He saved his spell before it was destroyed.

"Now, I attack Ryu Senshi."

Gate Guardian let out a blast of wind, water, and electricity, destroying Ryu Senshi.

"That's one more down…"

"You forget? My Dark Magician is now much stronger than your Gate Guardian. You were a fool to give me this power," Zakei yelled. "Dark Magician, attack that monster!"

Dark Magician jumped into the air, unleashing a blast of Dark Magic that would have incinerated Gate Guardian.

"I activate Penultimate Shield. This saves our Gate Guardian and destroys your Magician's Mage Power."

A rainbow-like shield blocked Dark Magician's attack. Dark Magician then landed next to Bann.

"Damn you. I cast a spell. Now make your fucking move."

"I will, and I order Gate Guardian to attack Dark Magician!"

Gate Guardian shot another attack at the magician, this time destroying him.

"You couldn't help me on this one, Tiamat? Too busy trying to save yourself?"

"Maybe if you didn't play such pathetic monsters and strategies, we wouldn't be staring down Gate Guardian right now!"

"Just as I thought, brother. They are too overwhelmed by the Seal's power that their greed and lust is causing them to bicker."

"Yes, you are a genius, giving them the Seal. They won't be able to defeat us now. I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"My move. I level up my Armed Dragon. Then I activate Shien's Spy, sending Red-Eyes to your side of the field where he loses his attack bonus. Finally, I attack my Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Armed Dragon!"

Armed Dragon hit the black dragon with a spiked fist, sending it flying and inflicting some damage to Atrop's life. He then cast a Spell and ended his turn, leveling up Armed Dragon again.

Atrop began his turn, yelling, "Gate Guardian, attack Zakei directly!"

Zakei looked over at Tiamat who glared back.

"You're on your own, Zakei," Tiamat said.

"Screw you, I didn't need your help anyway. I activate Magic Cylinder!"

A cylinder absorbed Gate Guardian's attack while another shot it back at Atrop with equal force.

"I'll save my brother by activating Hallowed Life Barrier!"

A shield surrounded Atrop, saving him from harm.

"Thank you brother. I will be sure to return the favor after I cast these two spells. Turn end."

"Your dark knight is no match for my Shogun!"

"You're wrong, Morgen. My dark knight is more than a match for you. He gains attack for every Warrior on the field, making him strong enough to take down your Shogun!"

Gaia impaled the Shogun with his lance, shattering him into thousands of pieces.

"Thank you, Bann."

"What?"

"By destroying my Shogun and inflicting this insignificant amount of damage to me, you have triggered my traps. The first is Call of the Haunted, brining back Masaki the Legendary Swordsman. The second is Double-Edge Strike."

Masaki appeared wielding his two swords.

"Like it will help. Masaki loses his attack advantage at the end of the turn."

"You've forgotten about my third and final trap, Staunch Defender, which forces Gaia to attack again."

"No…"

Gaia charged at Masaki, who dodged the knight and slew him. Masaki then jumped onto Gaia's horse and rode back to Morgen. Bann hit the ground from the damage. The Seal began to close in one him.

"You lose Bann…"

"I activate Polymerization! This lets me fuse my Red Dark Magician and my Goddess with the Third Eye to form Dark Paladin. Hey Tiamat, you're actually useful. Thanks to your Armed Dragon, my Paladin is strong enough to take on Gate Guardian. Dark Paladin, attack Gate Guardian!"

Dark Paladin jumped into the air, lifting his bladed staff, unleashing a blade of dark energy to cut the Guardian in half.

"Not so fast," Atrop said.

"We will stop your dark energy with…" Aletut started.

"Wall of Revealing Light!" they both yelled.

A large wall of light blocked Paladin's attack. Of course, the two had to give up almost half their life in order to do it, but now almost nothing would get through to them.

"No… no way…" Zakei said in disbelief. "I… I can't… I cast a Spell. Make your damn move."

The Seal began to close around Bann. He lay unconscious on the ground as Morgen laughed at his triumph.

"Bann… BANN! WAKE UP YOU IDIOT!" Migome yelled, pounding on the barrier of the Seal.

"Shut up, Migome. He lost and as a penalty, the Seal gets to take his soul. Don't worry, if you want to join him, I can defeat you next."

"You… you won't lay a finger on her."

"What? Impossible. You lost!"

"Not yet I haven't."

Gearfried, Kia, Gaia, Dark Blade, and Gold Knight appeared, surrounding Bann. As the Seal crept in, it was forced back by the ring of monsters, once again surrounding the field.

"This… this is impossible!"

"No, it isn't. You will never truly defeat me."

A roar could be heard over the wind. The rain began to stop.

"I cast a Spell. Your move."

"You moron. Masaki! Attack him!"

"You're the moron. I activate Counterblow!"

Masaki's blade was thrown out of his hand and thrust into Morgen.

"Always have a backup plan… heh heh…"

"Damn… you… I won't lose to the likes of you."

"Right…" 'Hello there.' "It's time to show you something. First, I activate Knight's Rebirth, Special Summoning Gaia the Dark Knight. Then I activate Fusion Recovery, returning Polymerization to my mind so I can fuse Gaia the Dark Knight with Curse of Dragon to form Gaia the Dragon Champion!"

"So? How will he help you? Once he is destroyed, you lose the duel anyway."

"Then he won't be destroyed. Next I activate Monster Reincarnation, returning a monster in my Graveyard to my mind at the cost of anything in my mind. So, would you like to see what I brought back?"

"Whatever it is, it won't help you."

"I see, then I might as well summon him. Arise Timaeus!"

"What! You can't summon him, not with my Rivalry of Warlords trap in play!"

"Timaeus is a dragon. So is Gaia the Dragon Champion!"

"No!"

"Yes, so Timaeus, fuse with Gaia to form Dragon Knight Gaia of the Gale!"

Curse of Dragon vanished. In its place, Timaeus soared high into the clouds with Gaia on his back.

"Dragon Knight Gaia, attack Masaki!"

Next time on City of Fire: Darkness Within


	39. Darkness Within

Chapter 39: Darkness Within

"Timaeus, fuse with Gaia to form Dragon Knight Gaia of the Gale!"

Curse of Dragon vanished. In its place, Timaeus soared high into the clouds with Gaia on his back.

"Dragon Knight Gaia, attack Masaki!"

Gaia swooped down, striking Masaki with his lance. Masaki vanished after being struck with the sharp end. Morgen screamed in pain.

"Ahh… you… ah…uh… have… eh… nut… won… ye… tuh…"

"We'll… see…"

"I summon… Getsu… Fuhma…"

A long red haired samurai stood next to Morgen, swinging his long sword.

"Now, I equip him with the Hadoken, the Wave Blade!"

Getsu Fuhma's sword began to glow with a blue aura.

"I am not afraid of your Dragon! You can't defeat me with it! Getsu Fuhma, attack!"

'What's he doing?' "You'll defeat yourself!"

"I will slay your dragon! I will prove that Timaeus cannot beat me!"

Getsu Fuhma struck the dragon with the Wave Blade and exploded. The explosion forced Getsu Fuhma to fly backwards and hit Morgen, who hit the back of the Seal and fell to the ground. The Seal began to close in around the rogue Basher.

"You see? You can't defeat me," Morgen cried, slowly standing up. "I beat your dragon. You're nothing without it…"

As the Seal passed over Bann, his wounds healed.

"You idiot. You… you…"

Bann lifted his sword and charged at Morgen, who continued to laugh manically.

"The Seal may take your soul, but I will make sure your soul doesn't have a body to return to! AHHHH!"

Bann swung his sword at Morgen's body while Morgen's soul was sucked out by the Seal.

"DIE!"

"BANN!" Migome yelled.

"Uh…" Bann stopped his blade inches from Morgen's body. "Mi… gome…"

Morgen fell to the ground. His body lay motionless in the mud. Water dripped down Bann's hair and off his sword.

"You were…" Migome started, but turned and ran off into the woods.

"What have I done?" Bann fell to his knees.

"We will stop your dark energy with…" Aletut started.

"Wall of Revealing Light!" they both yelled.

A large wall of light blocked Paladin's attack. Of course, the two had to give up almost half their life in order to do it, but now almost nothing would get through to them.

"No… no way…" Zakei said in disbelief. "I… I can't… I cast a Spell. Make your damn move."

"I will now sacrifice my brother's Flame Lord to summon Kakijin."

A red orb-like creature with large arms appeared on Aletut's side of the field. In the center of its "face" was the symbol for fire.

"Now Gate Guardian, attack Armed Dragon!"

"I activate Tyrant Wing, transforming my Armed Dragon into the Armed Tyrant Dragon!"

Two large white wings appeared on Armed Dragon's back, lifting him into the air, but not out of range of Gate Guardian's attack. Armed Tyrant Dragon vanished after being struck, but little damage was dealt to Tiamat. Then, Kakijin followed by using a fire attack, that stuck Tiamat directly.

"Damn… damn you Zakei. I bet you could have helped me right there."

"Yeah, maybe if I wanted to, but I didn't see any support from you when my Dark Paladin's attack was blocked, and thanks to your incompetence, he's too weak to defeat Gate Guardian now."

"Screw you."

"You already have. In fact, you've screwed up both with your horrible dueling. All I have to help me now is the Seal of Orichalcos. In fact, once I win, I think I'll use it to take your soul. Not like anyone would miss it. Now, I believe it's your turn, so why don't you hurry up so I can win this duel."

"Very well, I activate Monster Reborn. This brings my Armed Dragon back in defense. Then I cast a Spell. Good enough for you Zakei?"

"No, but I didn't expect you to play any better than you have been."

"Well, maybe we should have just let you two duel each other. It would have saved us the trouble. I activate Level Conversion Laboratory. This lets me roll a die and change the Level of a monster in my mind depending on the outcome."

Atrop dropped a small wooden die, which rolled and landed on the number two.

"Now my Iwajin is a level two monster, allowing me to summon it without a sacrifice!"

The ground began to shake as a large rocky pair of legs rose from the mud and rocks below them.

"Now I combine him with Kakijin to form Destiny Guardian!"

Kakijin floated over to Iwajin, forming the upper body of what could only be described as a smaller Gate Guardian using the earth and fire elementals.

"We now have two Guardians composed of powers of earth, fire, wind, water, and light elementals staring down the powers of darkness and shadow. Prepare yourselves for defeat! Destiny Guardian, attack Armed Dragon!"

Destiny Guardian let out a blast of earth and fire, destroying the Armed Dragon easily.

"Now that you are defenseless, I will finish you with Gate Guardian!"

"I don't expect you to help me, Zakei, so I activate Partial Shielding, taking only half the damage you Gate Guardian deals."

Gate Guardian's combination of water, wind, and lightning shrank as it hit Tiamat, leaving him with very little life left.

"You may have saved your life for now, but both of you have almost nothing left. Turn end."

"Well, Tiamat might lose next turn, but I'm still standing. Your Guardian doesn't scare me. I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"You will soon pay for you insolence. I'll start my turn by fusing Gate Guardian and Destiny Guardian, forming the powerful fusion of Final Guardian!"

A new guardian, larger and more powerful than the other two, formed from monsters on the field. At the base, Suijin made up the legs with Kazejin just above as the abdomen. Sanga kept its place as the chest area and Iwajin, split in two, took over as the arms. At the very top sat Kakijin, forming the guardian's head.

"Final Guardian! Attack Dark Paladin!"

'Damn him. I trusted him. We all did. He deserves death, doesn't he?'

"Who are you to decide the fate of others?" asked a mysterious voice.

"I… I am… I do, don't I?"

"Do you honestly believe you are capable of dealing them judgment?"

"Who are you? Why do you think you can rule my life? I remember you. You're the one who called me a saint."

Bann sat in the rain for a time, staring at Morgen's corpse.

"Well? Answer me! Voices in my head… I'm no saint…"

He got up and walked over to Morgen, moving his body out of the rain, propping it under a tree.

"You deserve less gratitude," he said and walked off.

"I activate De-Fusion, separating your Final Guardian."

"It won't work. Our guardian cannot be removed from the field by an effect, only in battle can he lose."

"Then I choose my Dark Paladin, separating him into Red Dark Magician and Goddess with the Third Eye."

"Our Guardian can still destroy him!"

"Then I activate Magical Dimension, sacrificing Goddess with the Third Eye to Special Summon Red Dark Magician Girl! Now my two magicians, incinerate that Guardian!"

A red armored Dark Magician and a red armored Dark Magician Girl, both with tan skin and white hair, put their staffs together, forming a large ball of red light. The launched their attack at Final Guardian, but it had no effect.

"Damn, he really can't be destroyed except in battle. I've still negated your attack. Tiamat, your move."

'Only in battle we can destroy him, however, our attacks are suppressed by that wall of light. Even if we could attack, we can't summon a monster strong enough take that Guardian down. Geez, what do we do?' "I summon my Baby Dragon, using Time Warp to turn him into Thousand Dragon. Normally, I could age your Guardian along with my dragon, but your Guardian seems ageless. However, now that I have my Thousand Dragon out, I have a plan to beat you."

"Took you long enough," Zakei smirked.

"Actually, you'll like this. I activate Stamping Destruction, destroying Field Transferal and inflicting some damage to you, Atrop."

Thousand Dragon flew into the air and pounded down on the field, causing it to spin wildly again.

"What did you do that for? We needed the Seal?"

"Yeah, but we also needed to inflict some damage to them."

"But we don't have the power to…"

"Do you feel that?"

"Yeah, like everything was foggy, but now it's clear."

The Seal stopped spinning. The hexagram disappeared above Tiamat and Zakei's eyes and reappeared above those of the Rotaruc brothers.

"I see, the Seal was clouding our judgment, but now I see clearly."

"No, why did you do that?"

"Zakei, I now see why those two were beating us."

"Yeah, using the Seal, you turned us against each other, but now we aren't blinded by the darkness."

"That's not all. Their dueling strategy itself is flawless. By combining their monsters, they are able to make something much more powerful than before. If we want to have any chance at beating Final Guardian, we need to work as a team and combine our Cree as well."

Hermos and Critias reappeared on the field.

"And without the Seal, our dragons return. Zakei, may I borrow a monster?"

"Sure."

"Hermos, fuse with Dark Magician Girl."

Hermos and Dark Magician Girl combined together to form the Black Burning Cauldron.

"And you'll equip that to your Thousand Dragon or the Dark Magician?"

"Neither. Zakei, you're up."

"Now I fuse Critias with the Black Burning Cauldron to form Dark Burning Sorceress!"

An older Dark Magician Girl, dressed in black robes and armed with a staff full of dark power, Dark Burning Sorceress was truly a sight to behold.

"If you'll let me do the honors, Dark Burning Sorceress, attack Final Guardian with Burning Final Flash!"

"You twit! Because the Seal is back on our side of the field, Dark Burning Sorceress is no match for the Final Guardian!"

"That's what you think."

Dark Burning Sorceress unleashed a terrible force of magical energy, splitting Final Guardian back into Gate Guardian and Destiny Guardian.

"What have you done?"

"The Dark Burning Sorceress has the power to defuse monsters. Since she has the power of two dragons in her, your Final Guardian cannot protect itself from these effects."

Dark Burning Sorceress shot two more blasts of energy out of the tip of her staff, destroying the two Guardians.

Bann walked for a time, unknowing of where he was headed. He was lost. Everything he knew seemed out of place. The world was a lie. If one of his friends turned on him, who was to say his others wouldn't or that he wouldn't betray them in the end.

"Lost in the woods, are you?"

"Shut up…"

"The woods of reality, crashing down all around you."

"I said SHUT UP!"

Bann picked up a rock and threw it into the trees.

"There… the voices are gone…"

He continued his journey onwards, never looking forward or backward, but only to his sides and what lay at his feet. The rain stopped and for a while, things were peaceful again, but not on the inside. Still the storms of rage continued to crash within him.

"What am I here to do? What is my purpose?"

"I have an answer to that…" said a familiar voice.

"Garu…"

"So, you remember me. Do you remember him as well?"

Bann turned to see Recks in Garu's arms. Garu threw him to the ground.

"What did you do to him!"

"I may have killed him. I may have even taken his soul."

"You bastard, you pay… WITH YOUR LIFE!"

Bann pulled out his sword and attacked Garu.

"I needed someone to take my anger out on. You'll do fine! AHHHHH!" he yelled, charging the Reckah.

"I'm not here to fight you."

Garu pulled out an Orichalcos stone and dropped it on Recks' chest. The stone began to glow as it melted into Reck's skin. A powerful barrier appeared, throwing Bann backwards before he was able to strike Garu. The Seal appeared, trapping Recks and Bann within.

Recks slowly got to his feet, saying, "It's time for us to duel… brother."

"Recks? What have you done to him?"

"Not I. The power of the Orichalcos has revived your brother and its dark energies now possess him. Defeat him and you can come after me. But… do you have what it takes to slay your own brother? I wonder."

"No… why would you do this?"

"It's called vengeance. As Master Darsus once said, 'Your ancestors destroyed my people. I have come back to destroy you.' He's a wise man, and what better way to defeat you than to make you kill each other? Woe is the man who must live with slaying his brother, but you get used to it."

"Come on, Jesi."

"I'm coming, Vaila, but I'm just sayin' that I have a bad feeling about this direction. Just look at those black clouds."

"Those are just storm clouds. You know, of the storm we JUST got out of."

'I don't know. Aren't those the storm clouds?' he thought, looking in the opposite direction.

Next time on City of Fire: Brother's Seal


	40. Brothers' Seal

Chapter 40: Brothers' Seal

"DUEL!" Bann and Recks yelled.

"I'll start by summoning Gearfried the Iron Knight," Bann stated. "Then I cast two Spells and end my turn."

"Then I'll summon Archaeotryx and combo his summoning with Reckless Hell Summoning, allowing me to Special Summon two more Archaeotryx. Now let me fill you in on this bird's special ability. All of my Archaeotryx can attack as one. Archaeotryx, attack Gearfried!"

All three Archaeotryx attacked Gearfried, biting and clawing at him.

"Damn… prehistoric chickens…"

"Lucky for you, my Archaeotryx cannot attack again."

"Good, then I activate Knight's Rebirth, returning Gearfried the Iron Knight to the field." 'You okay, Gearfried?'

"Yes, Lord Bann."

'Good, because we're gonna break right through this wall of dactyls.' "I activate Release Restraint, breaking Gearfried out of his armor. Then, I activate my set Shining Armor to give him a shiny new look. Now, Gearfried the Shining Knight, take hold of the Holy Sword."

Gearfried, now wearing a sparkling silver armor, grabbed the golden blade and swung it at one of the Archaeotryx, slashing it straight in half.

"Gearfried, attack another Archaeotryx."

Gearfried jumped into the air again, swinging the blade over another bird, leaving one left.

"Two down and one to go." 'The Shining Armor will let Gearfried attack again… but if I do, Recks might lose…' "I… end my turn."

"Lord Bann? I could have destroyed that last bird."

'But… I can't kill my own brother.'

"You just made a big mistake. I sacrifice the last Archaeotryx to summon Great Wing of Terror."

A large pterodactyl flew over the trees, beating its enormous wings, blowing away the Shining Armor and the Holy Sword, leaving Gearfried without a weapon or defense.

"As you know, the Seal of Orichalcos now gives my dinosaur power."

The Seal etched itself onto the dino's head, as it screeched loudly.

"Giant Wing of Terror, attack Gearfried the Swordmaster!"

The gigantic flying dinosaur flew down and struck Gearfried, carrying him high into the sky and dropping him into the trees below.

"Ha ha! Thanks to our combined Dark Burning Sorceress, your Final Guardian is as good as gone," Zakei laughed as what was left of Gate Guardian burned to ashes in black flames.

"Nice. Now that we have our Dark Burning Sorceress, you don't have the power to beat us," Tiamat added.

"That would be true…" Atrop started.

"…if we didn't have you at a disadvantage," Aletut finished.

"What do you mean?"

"I start my turn. I activate the spell, Dark Element. As you know, our Final Guardian was composed of all but one element… darkness."

"Now we shall summon the darkness elemental by giving up half of our life."

"I summon Dark Guardian!"

A large, axe-wielding creature rose up from the ground. It's upper body looked like that of a very muscular man in black armor while it's lower half was spider-like with large metallic legs.

"Dark Guardian, attack Red Dark Magician!"

Dark Guardian lifted his mighty axe and slammed it into the red armored wizard, shattering him with brute force. However, being in defense, Zakei suffered no damage.

"Damn, because of the Seal, that thing's just as strong as Final Guardian…" Tiamat said, bedazzled.

"Stronger…" Zakei responded, worriedly.

"I cast a Spell and end my turn. Make your last move."

"Maybe we can still beat this guy. I equip Dark Burning Sorceress with the Book of Secret Arts. This makes our two monsters dead even."

"If you think so, attack!"

"I will. Dark Burning Sorceress, attack Dark Guardian!"

Dark Burning Sorceress shot another ball of dark energy out of her staff, aimed for the Dark Guardian. It hit Dark Guardian, who was consumed in black flames.

"Grrrr…" growled the Guardian, who absorbed the attack into his axe and struck Dark Burning Sorceress, destroying her. Only Dark Guardian remained on the field, unscathed.

"What just happened?"

"Dark Guardian cannot be destroyed in battle. You attack was futile and your dragon empowered witch gone."

"I activate Life Trade. Since Dark Burning Sorceress is gone, I can now Special Summon a monster from my grave of the same Type with fewer stars. I choose Dark Magician." 'You better help me on this one Tiamat, because my Dark Magician is attacking.' "One cast spell. Go."

"You fool, your Dark Magician is about to be blow to smithereens along with your life! Dark Guardian, attack the fool's Dark Magician!"

Dark Guardian attacked Dark Magician with his axe.

"I activate Mystic Box!"

A box appeared behind Dark Magician, who jumped into it just as it sealed up. Then Dark Guardian struck the box, shattering it into pieces.

"Ha! Your Dark Magician is gone and so is the rest of your life!"

"Not so fast, look at your Dark Guardian!"

Dark Guardian was sucked into another box.

"Now for the old switcheroo. Dark Guardian's life will be traded for Dark Magician's. Then Tiamat will finish off Dark Magician next turn, leaving you two fresh out of Guardians."

"It won't end like this. I activate Medusa Flash."

Dark Guardian fell out of the boxes bottom and crashed onto the ground. His body was hard as stone. In fact, it was stone.

"Medusa Flash turns Dark Guardian into stone for a turn so he can't be destroyed by any magic tricks. Of course, he also can't attack."

The Mystic Box opened up again and Dark Magician jumped out and landed next to Zakei.

"Well, at least you're safe."

Dark Magician bowed.

"I switch Thousand Dragon to Defense Position, cast a Spell, and end my turn." 'Don't worry Zakei. If they come after Dark Magician, I'll protect him.'

"If that is all, then it's time to finish one of you. Dark Guardian, attack Dark Magician again!"

No longer stoned :D, Dark Guardian slammed his axe down at Dark Magician, who jumped out of the way.

"What trickery is it this time?"

"Honestly, I haven't a clue," Zakei answered.

"I do. I activated Negate Attack," Tiamat broke in. "Zakei, consider your magician saved."

"Thanks. And it's time to return the favor by ending this duel."

"I doubt it. You'll never get passed Dark Guardian or these three cast Spells. Turn end."

"You're right, it's quite a challenge, but I think I can pull it off."

"I summon Gold Knight and Dark Blade." 'So far, Recks' whole strategy has been offensive. He hasn't defended himself at all. Is the Seal clouding his judgment or is he trying to lose on purpose?' "Now that they're on the field, I activate White Winged Dragon and Polymerization, giving my two knights their legendary dragons, turning them into Dark Blade the Dragon Knight and Paladin of White Dragon. Then I equip Dark Blade with the Holy Sword you returned to my mind and I equip Paladin with Ritual Weapon."

Dark Blade and Gold Knight now rode two dragons, one black as night and the other light blue with golden eyes. Dark Blade also used the Holy Sword that Gearfried had lost to Great Wing of Terror, while Gold Knight's arm was fitted with a crossbow.

"Dark Blade, attack Great Wing of Terror!"

Dark Blade swooped in and struck the pterodactyl with his sword, cutting the flying beast in half.

"Now I…" 'I can attack him directly with little effort but… I can't do that to my brother.' "… end my turn."

"I activate Polymerization, fusing the two Velocisaurus in my mind to summon Traptor. Then I summon Armored Lizard and activate Ultra Evolution Pill to turn him into Dark Tyranno. Since there are now two monsters on my side of the field, Traptor's attack increases. Traptor, attack Dark Blade the Dragon Knight!"

Traptor ran at Dark Blade, lashing out and biting Pitch-Dark Dragon's neck. The dragon screamed as blood dripped out of its neck. Unable to get away, Traptor attacked again, grabbing the knight in its jaws, tearing his body in half with its teeth, and swallowing him. Pitch-Dark Dragon hit the ground, blood pouring out of its dead carcass.

"Ha ha ha ha ha… cast Spell… can't kill your Paladin… end turn."

'I'm sure he could have if he really wanted to.' "Paladin of White Dragon, attack Dark Tyranno!"

Paladin aimed at the dino with his crossbow and fired an arrow.

"Activate Amber Pit Trap."

Magma shot up from the ground, striking the arrow and Paladin, who landed on the ground and went into Defense Position.

"I cast a Spell. End turn."

"You aren't playing at your best, little brother. What's wrong? Afraid someone will get hurt? I attack directly with Dark Tyranno!"

'I can't use my trap against direct attacks…'

Dark Tyranno jumped over Paladin and bit Bann. Blood poured out of the teeth mark wounds. His clothes were completely stained red.

"Cast spell. The end."

"I summon Queen's Knight and cast a Spell. Your turn."

"I sacrifice Dark Tyranno to summon Rex King. Now Rex King, attack Queen's Knight!"

"I activate Tersepolymerization. This fuses Queen's Knight with the King's Knight and Jack's Knight in my mind to summon Joker's Knight!"

The purple clad knight lifted his sword and fought off Rex King's attack.

"As you know, in order to perform a fusion, a lot of energy is required, but the output energy is much greater than the input. However, if you don't plan on keeping the fusion together, you don't lose that input energy in the fusion and it's added to the power output, overall strengthening Joker's Knight."

"I know…"

"What was that?"

"I activate my own Tersepolymerization!"

"Uh!"

"I fuse Rex King and Traptor to form Giant King Traptor!"

A large orange dinosaur charged at Joker's Knight. This battle of fusions was epic as Giant King Traptor's large jaws bit down into Joker's sword, breaking it in half.

"Now Traptor, finish my brother with one last bite!"

"I activate Knight's Shield!"

Joker lifted his shield, deflecting Traptor's attack.

"King Traptor can attack twice. Traptor, attack Paladin of White Dragon!"

Traptor ran across the field again and grabbed Paladin in his mighty jaws, crushing down on the knight and dragon and swallowing them.

"AAARRGGHHA!" Bann screamed in pain.

"I end my turn, brother."

Both Giant King Traptor and Joker's Knight de-fused back into their fusion materials.

"Damn you and the Seal." 'As long as Recks has the Seal, he's crushing me, and if I fight back, I might take his soul… but if I don't…' "I'm sorry Recks. I activate Royal Straight, sacrificing King's Knight, Queen's Knight, and Jack's Knight to summon Royal Flush. Then I add the souls of Brave Knight, Knight Champion, Familiar Knight, Ace's Knight, and Kiryu to his mighty blade, giving him the power to destroy everything on your side of the field." 'Maybe, just maybe this will destroy the Seal,' Bann wished. "Royal Flush, attack with Poker Straight Slash!"

Royal Flush lifted his enormous sword into the air. It basked in a faint blue light that came crashing down as Royal Flush struck the ground with his sword. Five beams of light slashed across the field, destroying King Rex and Traptor, but the Seal remained, glowing beneath them. One beam hit Recks, who fell to the ground, but laughed even though he was deeply wounded.

"So… ha ha ha, you finally had it in you. I thought you were gutless. Guess I was wrong."

"You bastard. You aren't my brother. You are some evil pawn of the Seal, disguised as him. I will get my brother's soul back."

"You idiot. My soul never left! Through the dark powers of the Seal, I have… Bann…"

"Recks… Recks your still in there."

"I… I have the powers of the Seal. I have the power I have always wanted to… to… why is this happening?"

'Recks… you're fighting a battle with yourself. I know you're still in there, and I will free you even if I need to sacrifice my own soul to do so.'

"It's time to finish this, Rotarucs. I activate Dark Magic Attack!" said Zakei.

Dark Magician jumped into action, firing a blast of black magic at the Rotarucs.

"You foolish boy. Dark Guardian is too powerful to be defeated by the likes of you."

"Who said I was attacking Dark Guardian? My target is your set spells."

The black magic consumed Aletut and Atrop, destroying anything they had planned to use against Dark Magician's attack.

"Now, I activate one of my favorite spells, the Line Between Light and Darkness."

The entire field turned into a negative picture. Dark Magician's armor turned white. Dark Guardian, under the control of the Orichalcos, remained unchanged, but the shadows that wrapped his body became more visible. Thousand Dragon seemed, on the whole, unaffected other than the negative image made him seem a shade of blue.

"White Magician, White Magic Attack!" Zakei cried out.

White Magician lifted his staff high into the air. A ball of white magic began to glow at the end of his staff.

"You think that just because your Dark Magician or White Magician or what ever you call him has a new white armor, he is any match for our Dark Guardian?"

"Yes. Now that we have entered into this opposite realm, White Magician has gained a few new powers. The first is his White Magic Attack. It refills my life for everything I have on the field, and what I have is White Magician and the Line Between Light and Darkness."

White Magician fired the blast into the air. It exploded, raining down light energy onto Zakei.

"Now that some of my life is refilled, I can show you his second power. When some of my life is refilled, I can select any one monster on your side of the field and…"

"And what!"

"Let me finish. I can select any monster and return it to your mind!"

White Magician lifted his hand. The field became positive again and when it returned to the negative, Dark Guardian was gone.

"I believe that leaves your field… empty!"

"Oh no!"

"One of us is going to lose, but I promise, I will avenge you brother."

"What makes you think he is going to attack me? You are the one he should get rid of."

"Never. You are more annoying and still have Dark Guardian in your mind, making you more dangerous."

"Yes, well you have plenty more creatures that you could send to stand against him!"

"cough Hroom hm!" Zakei cleared his throat. "Actually, I was thinking of defeating both of you right now. White Magician, attack Atrop!"

White Magician shot a blast of energy at Atrop. He hit the ground, unmoving. The field then returned to the positive. White Magician changed back into Dark Magician.

"And since my Dark Magician technically didn't attack yet… Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician lifted his staff again and shot a blast of Black Magic at Aletut, who also hit the ground, defenseless. The Seal closed in on both brothers, passing over Tiamat and Zakei. The brothers were dead silent as the Seal took their souls.

"I've been here…"

Sagitar looked around the snowcapped ground.

"This is it. This is where I met Rooko. He's no longer here I gather." 'But something else is. I warned you Darsus.'

"Vaila, over here!"

"What is it?"

"A path. It leads off, but it's hidden. I see a cave at the end."

"You think…"

"It's worth a shot. Rooko, Jigen, and Cios might be in there."

"I don't know. Something doesn't seem right about that cave."

"Five minutes. We go in for five minutes. We don't find them, we keep heading down this path. Alright?"

Vaila nodded and they started down the hidden path.

"It's my turn, brother. I Special Summon Gilasaurus. You know what to do now," Recks said.

Bann nodded. "I Special Summon Kiryu in Defense Position!"

The reddish dragon grew out of the darkness.

"Now I sacrifice Gilasaurus to summon Dimitriadon the Night Dragon."

Gilasaurus vanished. A dark, serpent-like dragon appeared in its place.

"Dimitriadon, attack Royal Flush!"

The serpent shot a blast of energy at Royal Flush, incinerating him in black fire.

"This duel is almost over. I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"Recks…"

"…"

"I… I need to know. I need to know what is happening. I am your twin. I can't let you bare this burden alone," Bann said. He stared down at the ground the whole time. Tear began to form in his eyes. "I am sorry, Recks." He lifted his head. "I free you from the Seal! Activate Royal Upkeep – Taking the Hill!"

The ring of the Seal began to spin violently. The Seal above Recks' and his dino's heads vanished and their eyes changed back to a normal color. At the same time, the Seal appeared above Bann's eyes, which burned a blood red. Finally, the ring slowed down to reveal that it was now completely turned around.

"I… I bare your burden now…" A dark aura flowed over Bann's body. "Prepare… pre… prepare to lose your soul!" he said darkly.

Next time on City of Fire: Requiem


	41. Requiem

Chapter 41: Requiem

"Five minutes. We go in for five minutes. We don't find them, we keep heading down this path. Alright?" Jesi asked.

Vaila nodded and they started down a hidden path toward a cave. Suddenly, a figure ran out of the bushes and knocked right into Jesi. They banged their heads and hit the ground, eyes swirling.

"Mi… gome?" Vaila blinked. "Um… are you two okay?"

"I… I need to know. I need to know what is happening. I am your twin. I can't let you bare this burden alone," Bann said. He stared down at the ground the whole time. Tear began to form in his eyes. "I am sorry, Recks." He lifted his head. "I free you from the Seal! Activate Royal Upkeep – Taking the Hill!"

The ring of the Seal began to spin violently. The Seal above Recks' and his dino's heads vanished and their eyes changed back to a normal color. At the same time, the Seal appeared above Bann's eyes, which burned a blood red. Finally, the ring slowed down to reveal that it was now completely turned around.

"I… I bare your burden now…" A dark aura flowed over Bann's body. "Prepare… pre… prepare to lose your soul!" he said darkly. "I activate the Warrior Returning Alive. Return, Dark Blade!"

The black armored knight rose from the ground. He hit the ground with his arms and two silvery swords rose out, which he grabbed. The Seal appeared on his forehead and the already red eyes under his helmet brightened.

"Dark Blade, combine with Kiryu!"

Dark Blade jumped into the air as Kiryu swooped down. Dark Blade landed on the dragon's back and the two nose-dived at Dimtritadon.

"Dark Blade Kiryu, Triple Blackfire Striker!"

Dark Blade swung his swords, launching twin beams of black light as Kiryu shot a stream of black flames from its mouth.

"I activate Call of the Haunted, bringing back Dark Tyranno. Now your combo must attack him."

"No problem."

Dark Blade Kiryu's attack struck Dark Tyranno, obliterating the carnivore with ease.

"Now I activate Combination Attack! This split Dark Blade and Kiryu and allows them to attack again!"

Kiryu launched another attack at Dimitritadon as Dark Blade ran up to Recks and slashed him with both swords.

"This duel will be over soon enough!" Bann said with anger. "Now I combine Dark Blade and Kiryu. Turn end."

'Just as I thought, the Seal clouds your judgment as well. You only attack, you don't defend…' "I summon Dilophotar. When this dinosaur is summoned…"

A black, goopy substance rose from beneath Kiryu. It trapped the knight-dragon duo within it, preventing them from moving.

"…it traps one of your monsters in a tar pit. Then I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"Kiryu, Dark Blade separate!"

Kiryu shot a stream of flames from its mouth, releasing it from the tar. However, Dark Blade fell off and landed within the pit, still stuck.

"So, Kiryu was released. That means…" Bann stared at Recks and laughed. "Kiryu, kill my brother!"

Kiryu shot another stream of black flames at Dilophotar.

"I activate Last Breath Instinct!" 'I can't let you win. Not while you are influenced by this infernal device.'

Dilophotar ran through the flames and started a battle with Kiryu. The two clashed and clawed. Dilophotar slashed at Kiryu and Kiryu bit Dilophotar. Both hit the ground, dead.

"You killed my dragon… but you still took a lot of damage, brother."

"It was enough…"

"I cast a Spell. One more hit and you're finished."

'I need to do something. Bann, I can't take your soul. You sacrificed yourself to save me from this Seal of Orichalcos.'

Suddenly, a silvery dragon began to appear around Recks.

Far off, Darsus watched.

'What is this? He can't possibly summon that. You only obey me, remember?' Darsus thought. He was a bit startled at what he was seeing. "Ge… you are my servant. Remember what I gave you." He began to chant in a strange tongue. The words seemed to suppress the dragon spirit that was forming. Darsus hit the ground, weakened, standing on one knee.

"Master Darsus, is something wrong?"

"Leave me." 'Ge, what are you doing? Why are you being summoned?'

The silvery blue dragon continued to solidify within the pond. Darsus watched on, furious.

"If I cannot prevent you from summoning, then I will…"

'Activate it…'

'A voice… in my head… who…' Bann struggled to think.

'Activate your spell. Do as I say!'

"I… I must… I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Taking the Hill."

Beneath Recks and Bann, the Seal began to spin again. The dragon that was appearing behind Recks started to turn into a dark blue and purple serpent and vanished. When the spinning stopped, Recks was now under the Seal's control again and Bann was normal.

"Recks… I took the Seal… I can't give it back to you!"

The Seal spun again, stopping with Bann under its control and Recks normal.

"Recks… you need… to beat me! Do it!"

Recks stared at his brother. He was both shocked and horrified. Bann had managed to overcome the powers of the Seal and whoever was controlling him.

"Recks… do it now!"

"Bann… this is my burden to bare. I cannot let you use the Seal. I activate Heavy Storm!"

Fierce winds blew within the Seal, forcing it to spin again, once again turning onto Recks' side of the field and taking control of him.

"I'm… I'm… sorry… Activate Canyon of Lost Souls."

Rocky walls rose around them. A dinosaur known as Soraptor ran passed Recks and another one followed.

"This is it. This is the final battle. Soraptors, attack Dark Blade."

The two small raptors lashed out at Dark Blade, who was still stuck in the tar and unable to defend.

"One Soraptor would have been enough… but I was so looking forward to the extra damage."

"Recks…"

"I cast two Spells. One more hit and you're finished."

'What do I do? If I win, he loses his soul. If I lose…' "Recks… you… you win. I give up."

The Seal began to close in around Bann, who dropped to his knees.

Recks started to laugh, but soon stopped when he realized what had just happened. "Bann! Don't give up! You've got to win! If we tie… if we tie, maybe neither of our souls will be taken!"

"You're right, but this is sure. I can't put you at risk." He looked down at the ground."

"No… no this is all wrong. If you don't finish this battle with me now… then I will force the Seal to take me instead! As long as the Seal gets a soul, it'll be happy, right? Take me!"

"Fine, we'll finish this."

The Seal stopped and spread around Bann and Recks again.

"I activate Partial Fusion and Mid-Knight Polymer."

Queen's Knight, King's Knight, and Jack's Knight surrounded Bann. The lifted their swords and began to fuse, but separated soon after. Joker's Knight also appeared now, behind Bann. All four of his card knights were now before him.

"Thanks to Mid-Knight Polymer, I was able to fuse my fallen knights. Then, Partial Fusion split them up again."

"There's a weakness to using that. Your knights' attacks all half."

"I know… Joker's Knight, attack Soraptor and end this duel."

"That was your plan! You idiot! I activate Forced Requiem. This forces you to play a monster, magic, or trap that I choose. Timaeus, fuse with Joker's Knight! Now I lose!"

"Brother!" Bann just stared. He couldn't stop Recks now.

Timaeus fused with Joker's Knight to form Heavenly Dragon Knight Solitaire.

"Bann, I have to attack."

'Jest, if you…'

"I know. Your brother will lose."

Bann stared down at the ground. Tears began to form in his eyes. "Solitaire's attack increases for each Knight on the field other than himself… There are now three. Recks, you won't survive this attack. Prepare… to lose your soul…"

Jest, now in teal armor, charged at the Soraptors, followed by the other three knights. All four knights met in battle with the two dinosaurs, destroying both and defeating Recks. The Seal closed in around Recks and he screamed as his soul vanished. Bann collapsed to the ground along with his brother. He stared down at the ground as he wept. Kia and Jest stood by him.

"Bann, I'm really sorry. He… he forced me to attack."

Bann looked up. A burning hatred in his eyes, the tears could no longer be seen beneath the flames. "It wasn't your fault." He closed his eyes and rose from the ground. "The one who deserves to pay… IS GARU!"

"Well, it seems that our friend Recks lost."

"Well, looks like that Bann kid is more cold blooded than I thought."

"You're wrong. Recks forced his brother to defeat him. Now Bann wants vengeance."

"I see. Then I guess I must be off, master."

"Make sure you take his soul, Garu."

"Yes master."

"Bann, where are you going?"

"I must find Garu. He did this. It's his fault that my brother's soul was taken. I will get my revenge."

"Please, if you fight for vengeance, you will become what you are fighting."

"Nobody asked you, Kia. In fact, why are you still here? Shouldn't you have vanished along with Jest?"

Kia stopped. "Fine." She disappeared.

'Recks…'

"So, we keep going?"

"No, let's head back. I have a bad feeling."

"About?" Tiamat asked.

"Bann and Recks were forced to duel Morgen and Garu. I think it would be more important for us to find out what happened to them right now," Zakei answered.

"I agree. Besides, if we have them, it will be much easier to take on Darsus."

"Alright, let's head back."

Tiamat and Zakei, got up and headed back down the mountain.

'Rooko? He isn't here. I saved him over there, at the cliff. I don't know why I did it, but I am now glad I did.'

Sagitar spread his wings and hovered a bit above the ground. He looked over the cliff and down the mountain. He then began to think back to his meeting with the sage.

'"You are a Bloodwing, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"Yet you saved me. Very unlike one of your kind." Rooko grinned.

"I'm not like them… those chauvinists are too bent on what they believe will be their rise to power. They have no idea what real power is."

"And you have this power?"

"I will one day. I will show them all, destroy them, and make them believe." Sagitar looked at his right hand and clenched it. It transformed into a black claw. The nails cut into his skin and red blood began to flow out of the self-inflicted wound.

"I think I may be able to help you. I know that Bloodwings cannot use Cree. Their souls are too twisted with malice. You seek the power of the gods, right?"

Rooko's Archangels appeared around the recovering sage.

"I see, so you're Rooko, the White-winged."

"I am no longer so pure that I could be called White-winged." The angels' wings all turned black. Their angelic bodies burst open to reveal demons.

"That… that power!" Sagitar stated, wide-eyed.

"I've recently been inflicted with a darker side. Archdemons, you would be a perfect master of them."

"Tell me how I can get my hands on them."

"Since you saved my life, I will give you part of my soul, the darkness will latch onto yours. Then you should be able to use them. Of course, there is a catch. Once I die, I will be taking all of my soul with me."

"You die and I can't use this power anymore?"

"I die… and so do you."'

"Well, you aren't dead yet, old man," Sagitar laughed.

Next time on City of Fire: Sagitar's Lonely Battle


	42. Sagitar's Lonely Battle

Chapter 42: Sagitar's Lonely Battle. Battle of Chess?

"Looks like I've finally found you, my prey."

Bann looked around. "Garu! Show yourself you coward."

Garu jumped down from the trees above. "I see you did away with your brother. You're becoming more like me every minute."

Bann's eyes widened when he heard those words. "No, I'm not!"

Bann pulled his sword from its scabbard and rushed at Garu. Garu formed one of his Guardian's weapons and struck back. One thrust of the large, purple sword easily shattered Bann's.

"You're still not up to par with me. Your swordsmanship is pitiful. Your dueling is… well, it makes me laugh."

"That so, huh? If my dueling is so bad… then I challenge you. If I win, you return my brother's soul."

"Normally, I wouldn't waste my time with the likes of you, but if you insist…"

"DUEL!" they both shouted.

"I'll start," Garu said. "I set a monster. Turn end."

"That's it? I summon Dark Blade."

The black clad knight swung his two swords.

"Dark Blade, attack the shadow monster!"

Dark Blade charged at the monster enveloped in shadows. The shadows swept away to reveal Backup Guardna, who grabbed both of Dark Blade's swords and shattered them.

"Now you will see the power behind my deck. I activate Twin Swords of Flashing Light."

Two swords that looked that like bolts of lightning shot down from the heavens and struck the field.

'I have to ditch some Cree to use this… so I choose Trouse.' "Now that my swords are on the field, I activate Soul Exchange. This allows me to use your Dark Blade in place of a tribute for my monster. Now I summon Guardian Tryce!"

Dark Blade's soul was drained and he vanished from the field. His soul then formed into a tan skinned man with blue hair and a yellow vest. He landed on the ground and grabbed the twin swords.

"Since my Guardian can't attack right now, I'll just cast a Spell and end my turn."

'Those swords weakened his Guardian. Why would he play them?' "I summon Blade Knight. Blade Knight, attack Tryce!"

This knight shone brilliantly in silver armor. His sword and shield also shined bright silver. He struck Tryce with his sword, cutting the Guardian in half. Blood shot out of the wound and drenched the knight's sword.

"I activate Self Tribute. By giving up some of my life, I can save my Guardian's."

Tryce reappeared on the field, whole and unscathed.

'What's with this guy? He just gave up that much life just to save his creature?' "I cast a Spell. Your move."

"You look confused," Garu said, clutching his sides. "Why would I save my monster? My Cree are like my family. I won't let them die like I let my loved ones."

"I thought you…"

"What? Killed them? No, just my brother. My brother killed my family and I killed him. I activate Wicked Breaking Flamberge. Then I summon Guardian Baou and equip him with the sword."

The same large purple sword appeared on the field. This time, a black shadow wrapped around it, forming into a bat-like demon.

"I activate Guardian Burst, giving Baou a momentary increase in strength. Now, attack Blade Knight!"

Baou flew at Blade Knight and slashed him with his sword. He then absorbed his body and blew back to the opposite side of the field.

"Now that your field is clear, I attack directly with Tryce."

"I activate Draining Shield. This increases my Life Points by your Guardian's attack."

"Did I forget to mention that Tryce can attack twice?"

Tryce struck again, slashing Bann across the chest.

'Damn…'

"I told you that you weren't a match for me."

'Someone's been trailing me,' Sagitar thought. He was walking deliberately now so he could try to get some info on where and what was tracking him. 'In the trees to the right, jumping from branch to branch, young male, average weight.' "There!" Sagitar spun around.

His momentum was enough to send three knives spiraling at whoever was following him. The man jumped out of the tree and landed across from the Bloodwing.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"My name is Shredder Fritz. Master Darsus has ordered me to tail you. If you try anything funny, I'm supposed to eliminate you."

"Eliminate me? You think you can defeat a Bloodwing? Your Darsus is a fool. I warned him and now he will die."

Sagitar began to spread his wings but was stopped by Fritz, who had quickly placed a knife to his neck. Sagitar stopped his transformation and backed away a few inches.

"Well, you're interesting," Sagitar chuckled, patting his now empty knife pouch.

Fritz dropped ten knives onto the ground. "I challenge you to a duel."

"I'll start by summoning Vilepawn Archfiend. Then I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"I set a monster and a spell…"

"Is that all? I activate Seal of Blood. Now our lives are intertwined by the power of this trap. Vilepawn causes us to both take damage. Now, attack the set monster!"

Vilepawn attacked the shadowy figure with his blade arm. The figure was revealed as Puppet Pawn! The defense of the pawn was equal to the attack of the other so the battle was cancelled out.

'He's much more interesting than I thought.' "I cast a Spell. Your turn."

"I cast a Spell and switch Puppet Pawn to attack. Then I activate Sword and Shield. Your Vilepawn as a weak Defense while my Puppet Pawn as a high defense… Puppet Pawn, attack the Vilepawn!"

The black and white warrior slashed Vilepawn with his short sword. The weaker pawn vanished in a flash.

"Don't underestimate me."

"I cast two Spells and activate Spiral Spear Shot. Now that there is only one creature in my mind… I summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

Gaia trotted out on purple horse as always. He lifted both lances into the air and charged.

"Gaia, attack Backup Guardna with Spiral Spear Shot!"

Gaia struck the large demon, but his attack was repelled. Backup Guardna grabbed both lances with his arms and threw Gaia backwards.

"I activated my Spell, the Reliable Guardian. My Backup Guardna is very reliable, stopping your knight's attack with little ease."

"Uggh…" Bann moaned a bit as he took the recoil of the attack. "I end my turn."

"I fuse Tryce and Baou to summon Guardian Chaost. The fusion of Light and Darkness may not be enough to take out your knight, but with this Black War Hammer, I'm sure I can shake him up a bit."

A large hammer appeared in the hands of Chaost. He flew down at Gaia and prepared to smash him, but Gaia lifted his lance and blocked the oncoming assault.

"Like you protected your Guardna with a Spell, I protected my knight with Knight's Shield."

"It won't be enough. Next turn I'll just kill him."

"I start by activating Knights of the Gale. At the cost of some of my life, I can trade in Swift Gaia for the original Gaia the Fierce Knight. Then I activate my cast Spell, Treasures from Heaven, refilling both our minds. Then I activate my next set Spell, Polymerization, fusing Gaia and Curse of Dragon to form Gaia the Dragon Champion. Gaia, attack the Backup Guardna!"

Gaia flew down on Curse of Dragon's back and the two destroyed the Backup Guardna.

"Because of the Spiral Spear Shot, you take damage. Plus, I can add something from my Creepool to my mind. Finally, I cast a Spell. Turn end."

"Gaia still isn't strong enough to beat my Guardian. Chaost, attack Gaia and avenge Backup Guardna."

Chaost lifted the large hammer and jumped into the air to deliver the finishing blow to Gaia.

"I activate Disarmament!"

The Black War Hammer vanished! Gaia struck back at Chaost, separating them into Tryce and Baou, who landed on the field, slightly stunned.

"And then there were two."

"I activate Archfiend's Roar, bringing back Vilepawn Archfiend. Then I summon Infernalqueen Archfiend. Vilepawn, attack Puppet Pawn!"

"Puppet Pawn, counterattack!"

The black pawn and the white pawn attacked each other, exploding in fiery rage.

"Now that you're defenseless, Infernalqueen, attack directly!"

"I activate Soul Resurrection, reviving my Puppet Pawn."

"Infernalqueen, stop!"

The red demon stopped just before hitting the Puppet Pawn.

"Turn end."

"Alright… I'll activate Promotion. This allows me to upgrade my Puppet Pawn to Special Summon Puppet Queen."

Puppet Pawn vanished in a flash. In its place stood a large, black and white statuesque woman with no face appeared in its place.

'Crap. That thing's strong.'

"I place her in Defense Position and cast a Spell. Your turn."

"What! You could have just dealt some serious damage to me!"

"In chess, you need to be strategic. I don't need to damage you as long as your Archfiends are doing all the work for me. All I need is a strong defense. Then I sit back and wait."

"You're right…" Sagitar said as Infernalqueen drained some more of his life away. "That's why I will send us to the Layer of Ten-Thousand Demon Lords. Activate Pandemonium!"

The ground beneath them rose and swallowed them up. Within the darkness, the fires of the Pandemonium ignited as they arrived within the pits of hell.

"This… this isn't an illusion. You've sent us to the true Pandemonium."

"Yes, I have," Sagitar laughed. "I summon Shadowknight. Then I cast a Spell and end my turn. When this duel is through, your body will remain here, in Pandemonium, for all eternity."

"That's quite a boast. I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"I use the effect of Infernalqueen to increase Shadowknight's attack. Then I equip Infernalqueen with the Demon Axe, Axe of Despair."

Infernalqueen's right arm twisted into the shape of an axe.

"Shadowknight, attack Puppet Queen!"

Shadowknight jumped into action, swinging his glowing red sword-arm at the Queen, but both remained on the field.

"I told you not to underestimate my defense. I activate Castle Wall. Now my Queen's defense is equal to your Shadowknight's attack."

Shadowknight moved back to his defending position.

'Great, how do I break through that?'

"Bann?"

"Bann, what's going on? Isn't that Garu?"

Tiamat and Zakei entered the clearing where Bann and Garu were locked in battle.

"Get away…"

"What?"

"Get away now! You were supposed to head for Darsus."

"Hey, I'm the leader here."

Tryce and Baou stared down Bann's side of the field where only Gaia met their gaze, flying high on Curse of Dragon's back.

"This is my battle. I have to avenge my brother."

Zakei's eyes widened and Tiamat's jaw dropped.

"Recks… he, Garu killed him?" Zakei asked.

"Don't make me laugh," Garu responded. "It was Bann who slew his brother and took his soul. I only helped him along." He pointed to the green stone around his neck. "Now, I believe it's your turn, so let's see you get your vengeance. Become me, become your hatred!"

"You bastard! Gaia, attack Guardian Baou!"

Gaia and Baou flew at each other. Baou swung his sword as Gaia raised his lance. As Baou struck, an icy crystal prison began to cover Gaia and the dragon's bodies. In the end, both were trapped with the thick stone and fell to the earth.

"I've trapped your knight within the Crystal Seal. It can't attack, defend, or move. It's a useless monster."

"I… end my turn."

"Bann…" Tiamat started.

Bann's eyes were lit like a wildfire. His teeth were bared and he stared, unblinking at Garu. Tiamat and Zakei just watched, unable to do a thing.

"Please tell me he's lying. You couldn't have… you didn't…"

"I did. Garu forced Recks and myself into a duel where the Orichalcos… it took hold of me. In the end, I attacked with Timaeus and finished the duel."

Zakei and Tiamat just stared, but something about Bann's story wasn't adding up. They knew that Timaeus couldn't have been summoned if Bann was under the influence of the Orichalcos.

"Bann, you're leaving something out. What happened."

"Bann turned to look at his friends. He forced me to do it. He took back the Orichalcos and forced me to attack him. Recks gave up his life to save mine…" He turned back to look at Garu, "…and I'm going to make him pay! He forced me to get rid of my own brother."

"Yes, let me feel your vengeance! Your pain, your lust, your anger! It pleasures me so!"

"Garu… you're despicable."

"You have no idea what I can do. I activate…" Garu grabbed the chain around his neck and ripped it off. He then held the glowing green stone high in the air and finished, "… the Seal of Orichalcos!"

The ground around them shook. The stone radiated an intense light that reflected the hatred of the opponents. The eerie glow blocked out all other light and blinded the field.

"What's going on?" Tiamat asked. "The Seal has never acted this way."

"This is the true power of the Seal. This is what happens when two souls are locked in combat with hatred that knows no bounds!" Garu laughed evilly.

As the light died down the Seal appeared beneath Bann and Garu, spinning rapidly. It was unsure which duelist to ensnare.

"Watch what happens when two souls face each other in eternal combat!"

The Seal stopped and the symbol in the center began to form.

"What is this?" Bann asked. "The symbols on the outside ring… they're different."

"That's not all that's different," Garu replied.

Instead of the normal hexagram six-point star, the Seal formed an octagon. Then, within the octagon, a differently shaped hexagram formed.

"What's going on here?

On Garu's forehead, the new Seal of Orichalcos appeared. Then, opposite him, the same began to appear on Bann's forehead. Dark auras swept over both of them as the Seal took its grasp.

"What do you think? I used you to attain a greater power. This is the Seal of Ereberos. I'm no stooge of Darsus. I used him, my brother, and you."

The Seal below them pulsated. It turned a blood red color and so did the Seal above their eyes. Both Bann and Garu's eyes also turned a blood red.

"I… will not… be made a pawn!"

The Seal vanished from Bann and changed back into the Seal of Orichalcos.

"What happened? This is… I was supposed to attain great powers. What have you done to the Seal of Ereberos?"

"Your Seal can't take hold of me. It has no power over me any longer."

"I cast two Spells. Then I switch Puppet Queen to attack position. Puppet Queen, attack Shadowknight."

Puppet Queen lifted her scepter and shot a blast of energy at the demon, who vaporized.

"Then I cast two Spells. Your move."

"First, I use my Infernalqueen's ability to increase her attack. Then I summon Desrook."

"And I'll chain that summoning with A Rival Appears. Now I summon Puppet Rook."

Another black and white warrior appeared. This one had a castle-like crown on top of its head.

"I place him in defense position."

'So, even if I destroy his Puppet Queen, my Desrook can't break through his Puppet Rook.' "Fine, then I attack Puppet Queen with Infernalqueen."

Infernalqueen lifted her scepter to attack.

"Not so fast. Forgetting my second cast spell? I activate Friendly Fire!"

Infernalqueen turned around and attacked Desrook. Desrook countered with his own attack. Both monsters destroyed each other in a large, fiery blast.

"Now, you take the damage from the battle between the two. In addition, you're defenseless. Next turn, it's checkmate."

"I wouldn't count on it, Reckah. I cast two Spells. Turn end."

"I summon Puppet Knight. Now, attack the Bloodwing directly!"

Puppet Queen, Puppet Rook, and Puppet Knight all attacked Sagitar.

"I told you not to count on it. I activate Mirror Force. This will deflect all of your attacks back at you!"

"Checkmate, Sagitar the Bloodwing. I activate Total Defense Formation, switching all of my Puppet Chess Monsters to defense. Now your Mirror Force is useless and my monsters can still attack!"

"I figured you'd try a defensive tactic, so I set this. Activate Dark Mirror Force!"

The Mirror Force Barrier that Sagitar created turned black. It shot out again, destroying all of Fritz' monsters.

"My chess monsters! What happened?"

"By hiding in defense, the Dark Mirror Force was able to completely wipe them out. This duel's over."

"NOOOO! My monsters!"

"I was so close… I would have attained the power of the Ereberos. Your soul is mine," said an enraged Garu. "I equip Tryce with the Butterfly Dagger. Then I summon Guardian Elma and use Tailor of the Fickle to give her back her dagger. Guardians, embrace the powers of the Seal!"

The dark powers of the Orichalcos swept over Elma, Tryce, and Baou. On their foreheads, the Seal ignited in green flame and their eyes burned with red light.

"I cast a Spell. Your turn."

"Bann, you can beat this guy. You've already beaten the Seal."

"Beaten the Seal? No, he's only managed to push it back. Soon, he will come to know the true horrors of the Seal of Orichalcos, and when he gives into its power, then I will forge the Seal of Ereberos!"

"You talk too much. I will never give in to you. I cast a Spell and summon Command Knight."

A red armored female knight appeared on the field.

"She has a very nifty ability that you might like to know."

"What's that?"

"She powers up all of my Knights, including Gaia!"

"No…" Garu looked on in horror as Gaia burst out of the Crystal Seal.

"Gaia, attack Guardian Tryce!"

Gaia flew up into the air on Curse of Dragon's wings. Together, the two flew down the field and struck Tryce, who vanished in a pillar of light. As the light faded, a larger Guardian with red hair and tan skin, wearing a blue vest and holding the Twin Swords of Flashing Light.

"What the hell is that?"

"Meet Guardian Trouse! Trouse, attack Gaia the Dragon Champion!"

Trouse stabbed the ground with the sword in his left hand as the Seal of Orichalcos appeared on his forehead. The Seal seemed to make him grow much larger and he lifted one large arm into the air and grabbed Curse of Dragon. He then used his right arm to plunge the second sword into Gaia as Curse of Dragon was crushed. Both fell from the sky, dead long before touching the ground.

"As you know, the Twin Swords of Flashing Light allow my Guardian to attack twice."

Trouse lifted the sword that he had plunged into the ground earlier and flung it at Command Knight, who was cut in half. The sword then flew back to Trouse like a boomerang, which Trouse caught nimbly.

"This is the end… Baou, Elma, attack directly and end this duel!"

"I activate Return of the Round Table. This allows me to Special Summon up to five knights from my Graveyard. I choose to summon Gaia the Fierce Knight, Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, Command Knight, and Blade Knight."

The four knights rode onto the field on mighty steeds. Garu saw that his Guardians were no match.

"I end my turn."

"I will never give up to the likes of you." 'Why am I so weak? I remember all those times, all those defeats. I will not lose to someone like you.

"Why do you continue? You constantly lose."

"Shut up, Drake. I will defeat you."

"Oh yeah? Bolshack Dragon, finish this weakling off so that his soul can be fed to the Beast!"

"That's enough, Drake. If you continue, it will be you who loses."

"Master Darsus? Why did you stop me? We don't need a weakling who can only defend himself."

"Look at the damage you've sustained just from attacking his so-called 'weak defense'. Oh mighty Seal, I release those who you hold."

The Seal of Orichalcos that surrounded Drake and Fritz vanished.

"Weakling," Drake sneered and walked off.

Fritz watched Drake as he left and turned his gaze to the ground. "I'm sorry Master Darsus. I'm sorry for being so weak."

"Do not heed the words of Drake. He is a fool. You need only listen to me."

Fritz looked up at Darsus' cold blue eyes. "What do you mean?"

Darsus pulled a shard of the Orichalcos from his satchel. "We have gathered new souls. However, this one seems to be incomplete and useless. I have fused the soul within this shard." Darsus walked up to Fritz and placed the shard on his forehead. The blue gem began to melt into his skin as he screamed. "Let this shard of the Orichalcos fuse with your soul!"

Fritz hit the ground, sweating profusely. His breathing was shallow and his arms could barely keep him up. With his left hand, he clutch the Orichalcos stone that hung around his neck.'

Fritz clutched the Orichalcos stone that hung around his neck. He pulled it off and lifted it into the air. "I will get the full soul. I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!" '"You have a great powers lurking within you, Shredder Fritz. Use the Seal of Orichalcos to awaken your full potential." Don't worry, Master Darsus. I will not let you down.'

The Seal appeared in the sky and circled around Fritz and Sagitar.

"Please, the Seal of Orichalcos? This Darsus must really think that he's…" 'No, he can't… damn!' "Shadowknight, attack directly!"

A second Shadowknight appeared and slashed Fritz, who barely fidgeted as the Seal transformed him.

"I cast two Spells. Your turn."

The rocky walls around them began to crash as the Seal broke away Pandemonium.

"Now, I use the power of this shard of the Orichalcos!" A green gem began to glow in Fritz' forehead. "I summon Crystalknight Archlord!"

A shining knight in crystalline armor appeared. He had a large, blue sword in hand and a shield of diamond in the other. The Seal appeared on its forehead and the blue armor turned a dark red. It's white, angelic wings turned black and its eyes glowed an evil red color.

"This is a whole new game, Sagitar the Bloodwing."

"My turn. I activate…" 'Sweet.' "… Union Attack! This lets all of my knights attack as one. Gaia, Swift Gaia, Command, and Blade, attack Guardian Trouse!"

The two Gaias impaled Trouse with their lances. Then Command Knight and Blade Knight rode in and stabbed Trouse with their swords. Trouse buckled and fell, vaporizing in another pillar of light. In his place, Tryce reappeared with his blue hair and yellow vest, wielding both swords.

"You may have destroyed Trouse, but now I can show you his special ability!"

Tryce vanished in a flash of light and reappeared behind Gaia. He swung both of his swords and Gaia vanished. Bann grabbed his sides as he felt the attack.

"Ha ha ha ha… you won't be able to take much more of this duel."

"You'd be surprised, Garu. I've been to hell and back. You don't scare me. Two cast Spells. Your move."

"I don't scare you? Well, then I'm not doing my job. I activate Forced Burial. By giving up some of my life, I can force you to three monsters from Creepool to the Graveyard. Choose your monsters."

"Fine. I pick Brave Knight, Knight Champion, and Familiar Knight."

'Good, now I have more monsters to feed to Eatos' sword.' "I activate Monster Reincarnation. This lets me return Backup Guardna to my mind, who I now summon. Then I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"Thanks for sending those monsters to my grave."

"What?"

"Now I have enough monsters to do this! I remove Gaia the Fierce Knight, Familiar Knight, Dark Blade, Knight Champion, and Brave Knight from play so I can sacrifice Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, Blade Knight, and Command Knight."

All five knights appeared in a ring of light that surrounded the knights already on the field. A pillar of light rained down from the sky and the three knights vanished. In their place, four silver knights and one golden knight appeared

"Arrive and awaken Knights of the Round Table!"

The five knights all took out their weapons and waited to battle.

"Turn end."

"Game end."

"What?"

"It is time to see the power I used to defeat your brother."

'Rooko? That looks like one of Rooko's Archlord monsters, but how did he…?"

"Crystalknight, attack the Shadowknight!"

Crystalknight rushed Shadowknight and took him down.

"Now to tell your Crystalknight's effect. All battle damage he inflicts is doubled!"

"…"

"Your move, Sagitar, and don't forget. Pandemonium is gone, so all of your Archfiends damage you."

"I know," Sagitar said. 'Which is why this next move is so risky.' "Before I start my turn, I activate my two traps, a Rival Appears and Archfiend's Roar. I Special Summon Infernalqueen and Terrorking. Since I've done this before my turn, I take damage from their effects. I also get to use Infernalqueen's effect to increase Terroking's attack. Terrorking, attack Crystalknight!"

Terrorking lifted his sword and slashed the knight, breaking him clear in half.

"I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"I summon Mysticpawn, cast a Spell, and end my turn."

"My move. Before Terrorking inflicts damage, I'll activate Demon Regenerator to increase my life by his attack." Sagitar began to glow and eerie violet red. "Much better. Terrorking, attack the Mysticpawn!"

"I activate Archlord Crossing. This lets me sacrifice my Mysticpawn to summon Crystalknight!"

The crystalline knight once again appeared on the field in place of the pawn.

'Damn!' "Terrorking, stop!"

Terroking stopped and put down his sword.

"Fighting with a king is the most dangerous move you could make. There could always be a knight waiting to jump you."

"I cast two spells. Make your damn move."

"With pleasure," Fritz grinned. His body began to bask in a white light.

"What are you doing?"

"Like your Archfiends take life from you, my Archlords give life to me. I summon Whitebishop and cast a Spell. Then I'll have Crystalknight attack."

Crystalknight stabbed Terrorking in the heart, but the demon didn't die. Instead, the wound closed and a dark energy surrounded him.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"I activate Demonic Rebirth. By killing him, you've only made him stronger. Terrorking, counterattack! I'll also activate Seal of Blood so you take the damage I take. Now take out the Whitebishop!"

"I activate my bishop's ability."

Crystalknight stood in front of the bishop, defending him. Terrorking destroyed the knight again. Mysticpawn appeared in the knight's place.

"I cast a Spell and end my turn," Sagitar said, dissatisfied.

"I summon Shiningqueen."

Another Archlord appeared. This one, female, also turned a dark red and her wings blackened.

"Then I activate Union Attack."

Shiningqueen, Mysticpawn, and Whitebishop all teamed up on Terrorking, taking him down.

"I use the ability of my Desrook to return Terrorking to the field."

"Check."

"I attack…"

"I use the ability of Whitebishop to transfer your attack to Mysticpawn."

Terrorking slashed the pawn, which exploded from the force of the demon sword.

"I summon a Vilepawn and cast two spells. Your turn."

"It's time to stage the blitz! I use Shiningqueen's effect to increase her attack. Then I summon Holyking. Shiningqueen, attack the Terrorking!"

"You forgot about my traps."

"Traps can't help you now. You don't have the life to use them."

"That's why I have to get it back. I activate Alter for Tribute."

An alter rose from the ground. On it, Vilepawn lay. His life was extracted and he turned to dust as his soul was forced into Sagitar's.

"Now that I've gained some life back, I activate Trap of Darkness!"

A dark, spherical object appeared next to Sagitar. He put his hand next to it and forced some of his life energy into it.

"What's that?"

"You'll see…" he said, a little short of breath.

The Archlords continued their attack on Sagitar.

Sagitar closed his eyes and yelled, "MIRROR FORCE!"

The orb of darkness shifted and the Mirror Force Barrier appeared, deflecting the attacks of the Archlords and sending them right back at them.

"I send Mightyrook to the grave to revive Holyking."

"I believe that's check."

"You wish. We now have a king each. That leaves us with only one possibility. A stalemate. Neither of us wins. The Seal takes us both."

"I refuse to give up. I have a purpose in life that I must fulfill."

Terrorking's eyes glowed as he took some more of Sagitar's life.

"Then it looks like I win," Fritz said. "If you don't give in to the stalemate, your own demon will take your soul, himself."

"It is time to see the power I used to defeat your brother," Garu laughed, maniacally. "I activate the Celestial Sword."

A long, narrow, and beautifully crafted blade appeared on the field.

"And to use this sword, I summon Guardian Eatos! Since there aren't any monsters in my Graveyard, I can summon her free of sacrifice."

A beautiful woman appeared behind Garu. She had beautiful white wings and an eagle's head headdress. Soon after, the Seal took control of her. Her eyes turned blazing red from a soft golden color. Her beautiful white wings turned black and an evil grin appeared on her face. She picked up the Celestial Sword and pointed it at Bann. The souls of Swift Gaia, Command Knight, and Blade Knight were sucked out of him and drawn next to Eatos.

"This is what happens when you don't treat your monsters with respect. I refuse to let my Guardians die. You don't care. This is your fate. Prepare for the end."

The souls of the three knights were sucked into the Celestial Sword. Eatos flew at the five knights for the decisive blow sure to finish the duel.

"I won't lose and I won't tie. This duel ends here and now. I summon Darkbishop. Then I activate Demon Opposition."

Two Shadowknight Archfiends and Vilepawn Archfiend appeared next to Terrorking. They surrounded Holyking.

"This is the end. I've trapped you."

"No, how could I have not foreseen this!"

"Checkmate!"

Darkbishop attacked Holyking, but Holyking struck back. This gave Terrorking the opportunity to attack. He lifted his right hand, absorbing the two Shadowknights and the Vilepawn. The formed a ball of red hot energy.

"Attack with Genocide Laser!"

Terrorking shot the energy out of his palm. The blast struck Holyking and shot right through him, striking Shredder Fritz. The Seal of Orichalcos surrounded him and absorbed his soul. The cave around them crumbled away. Sagitar transformed into his demonic form and flew out. Beneath him, what was the gateway to Pandemonium, closed up with Fritz' body still inside, just as Sagitar has promised it would be.

"Well, Darsus. I warned you. Now you will feel my wrath."

"This is the end!"

"I won't let it end like this!"

The Knights of the Round Table put their swords together, fending off the Eatos' attack. Eatos continued her plummet, but was slowly losing ground!

"What is this? How can she be losing?"

The five knights took their chance. They combined their power and struck Eatos, destroying her. The Celestial Sword hit the ground and shattered.

"Ee…Eatos…" Garu said, shocked that his Guardian could have lost. "How?"

"I activated my Trap, Knight's Seal. It negated the effect of the Celestial Sword so Eatos' attack was returned to normal. This gave my knights the power to counterattack and defeat her."

Garu stared at the ground. His face was covered in shadow. "Heh… heh heh… ha ha ha hahahahahahahaha!"

"What's so funny? I just destroyed your best monster."

"Best… monster?"

Garu looked up. The Seal on his head began to change. His eyes lit on fire. Beneath them, the Seal changed again. It spun rapidly. A large dark aura emanated over Garu. He continued to laugh maliciously. In front of him, something began to form from the ashes of Eatos. The ground opened up and a bandaged hand made its way out of the earth.

"Rise… Guardian Deathscythe!"

What appeared to be a dead Eatos rose from the ground and sat on the field. A large scythe appeared in her hand. On her face, a half black, half white mask sat on her face. She was almost completely bandaged up. Stone armor sat on various parts of her body.

"I Special Summon Saint Knight Isaac," Bann said. "Isaac, attack Deathscythe!"

Isaac attacked the undead guardian, but it had no effect.

"What?"

"By sending Guardian Kay'est to the grave, I was able to save her. You won't take her away from me again."

The Seal stopped spinning. It reformed as the Ereberos Seal. Isaac vanished from the field.

"I switch Guardian Deathscythe to attack position."

Deathscythe stood up. As she did, Tryce, Baou, Elma, and Backup Guardna vanished. As the were pulled into the Graveyard, Deathscythe absorbed their souls, increasing her own power.

"Deathscythe, attack…"

Next time on City of Fire: Inevitable


	43. Inevitable

Chapter 43: Inevitable

The Seal stopped spinning. It reformed as the Ereberos Seal. Isaac vanished from the field.

"I switch Guardian Deathscythe to attack position."

Deathscythe stood up. As she did, Tryce, Baou, Elma, and Backup Guardna vanished. As the were pulled into the Graveyard, Deathscythe absorbed their souls, increasing her own power.

"Deathscythe, attack Knights of the Round!"

Deathscythe picked up her scythe and swung it at the five knights. All five sliced clean in half. Their blood soaked the ground. Through Deathscythe's mask, the eerie glow of her eyes shined in what could only be described as pleasure.

Bann hit the ground. His life was at the very ends and he was facing down an invincible and overly powerful monster. Garu's dark aura flowed out over the field.

"Get up. This duel isn't over."

Bann slowly rose to his feet. 'How can I win?' he thought.

"Bann, if you want to beat me, there is only one way."

"Huh…"

"Embrace the darkness. Take the Seal of Ereberos. Use it against me!"

Bann thought for a second. 'It might be my only way out. If I use this Seal… I can beat that thing. I've got to do it…'

Bann's aura turned an inky black. It overflowed with the power of the Ereberos.

"Good, now this is a duel." 'You're becoming just like me, Bann. Use the Ereberos and you will win. Then you can become the avatar of the Blood God.'

"Bann, what are you doing?" said a voice that seemed far off.

'Who? Who is there? You seem so far away.'

"Bann…bann…ann…" the voice echoed.

'Recks?' Bann's eyes opened. The dark power of the Ereberos rushed out of him. "No, I can never accept the darkness. I will beat you here and now, with my own power."

Zakei and Tiamat watched from outside the red Seal, impressed that Bann was able to drive off the power of the new Seal. "Bann! You can win!" they cheered.

Bann turned and grinned at them. Then his gaze turned back to Garu.

"You fool. That was your one chance to win and you didn't take it. You've already lost."

"Well, Garu. It seems that you never were with me. You used me for, what you believe, a greater power. Be assured, soon you will see that there is no greater power than the Orichalcos. The son surpasses the father. The Seal of Ereberos is ancient and weak. The Seal of Orichalcos…" Darsus lifted his right hand. A swirling blue light surrounded it. He laughed into the night. The cave walls echoed the laughter. "Soon you shall awaken, Aether. Soon you shall rule the planet."

Deep within a cave, Migome, Vaila, and Jesi slowly made their way down a rough slope.

"I doubt Jigen and the others could be down here."

"Let's keep looking," Jesi said. "I have a feeling about this place."

They continued down the "path" until Migome got stuck. Something seemed to be grabbing at her leg. She pulled herself back and landed right next to a skull.

"AAAAAHHAHHHAHHHHHHH!" she screamed.

"What is it? Oh, it's just a skeleton," Vaila said.

"What do you mean 'it's just a skeleton'?"

"This could be a clue that the others are down here."

"You don't think…" Migome said, "that these could be them, do you?"

"No. Bodies don't rot away so quickly. Besides, that's a female skeleton," Vaila said. She helped Migome up and they continued down the cave.

­­­

"I cast a Spell and activate Gather the Round Table!" Bann said.

A dark, shadowy knight appeared. His sword glowed a bright orange and his armor was black and red.

"Meet Dark Flare Knight!"

"The powers of darkness are truly weak within you to create such a pathetic knight. Deathscythe, attack it and end this duel!"

Dark Flare Knight met Deathscythe's scythe with his sword. Both creatures clashed, leaving only Deathscythe standing.

"You lose."

"No, I don't."

"What?"

"You have destroyed the darkness, leaving only the light! I summon Mirage Knight!"

A golden knight with a scythe appeared in Dark Flare Knight's place.

"I equip Mirage Knight with Excelsior!"

Mirage Knight's scythe vanished. A sword trapped in a stone appeared and Mirage Knight lifted it up.

"Mirage Knight, attack Deathscythe!"

Mirage Knight struck Deathscythe with Excelsior. Deathscythe blocked with the Reaper's Scythe.

"Now I reveal Mirage Knight's special ability! His attack increases by the original attack of Deathscythe. This makes him stronger than Deathscythe now!"

"I unleash the full power of the Seal of Ereberos!"

"What?"

Deathscythe's dark aura exploded with power. She pushed back Mirage Knight's attack.

"When my monster battles with a stronger monster, her attack increases."

"I use the power of Excelsior to increase Mirage Knight's attack even further!"

"It's not enough."

"Bann, do something!"

"Come on, don't let this guy win!"

"Activate… Knight's Shield!"

Deathscythe struck the finishing blow. Mirage Knight jumped back and lifted his shield, blocking the attack of the undead guardian.

"I activate Mid-Knight Polymer! This fuses Mirage Knight and Dark Flare Knight to form Shining Flare Mirage Knight!"

A dark and light warrior with a chaotic aura appeared. In one hand a sword, the other a scythe.

"I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"I see you've stumbled upon our secret cove," said a mysterious, far off voice.

"Who's there?" Migome shouted into the darkness.

"I see they haven't told you about me yet. My name is Dimay."

A dark, shadowy figured appeared on the wall of the cave. Out of it, Dismay stepped, wearing his usual black robes. He had a crazed look in his eyes as he turned his glance to each of the Bashers.

"What is this place?" Jesi asked boldly.

"This is where we keep the bodies of those who we feed to the Orichalcos. The bodies of your friends lie somewhere deep within. I remember when I met with them. I battled Rooko on the cliffs and came to a standoff. When Morgen saw my power, he quickly turned against the others and secretly met with me. I took him to see Darsus and… well the rest is history. He defeated Jigen and Cios. Their bodies are somewhere down there, I suppose," Dismay said rather nonchalantly, scratching his head.

"They're down there?" Jesi replied.

"Well, I suppose they would be, except for Rooko. He bested me and got away." Dismay sighed. "You win some, you lose some, I guess. I had no use for half a soul anyway. He's probably freezing as we speak. It's deftly cold out there with the Souler Winds and all."

Jesi began to turn to run down the path.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dismay asked.

"To get the others, of course. I'm not gonna let a Reckah stop me."

"I see. I didn't want to have to resort to using this," Dismay lifted the Orichalcos Stone, "but it seems I won't have a choice. Damn, such pitiful souls. You really aren't worth my time."

"Jesi, Migome, head down to the caves. Find Jigen and Cios' bodies and get out of here. I'll catch up with you later," Vaila said.

"Vaila, what are you going to do?" Migome asked.

"He wants a fight. I'll match him blow for blow."

Migome nodded and headed off with Jesi.

Dismay sighed again. "I could use a battle. Too bad you won't be a challenge."

"What makes you say that?"

Dismay laughed. "My dear, you're looking at the man who defeated both Jigen and Tiamat at once."

Vaila's eyes widened. "That… you don't scare me. How do you know I'm not better than both of them?"

"You may try acting tough if you wish, but underneath it all, I can see that you're just a scared little girl."

"DUEL!" they both yelled.

"I'll start," Vaila said. "I activate the Field Magic of Ancient City!"

A large stone city sprang to life behind Vaila. It was old and tattered.

"I summon Ancient Gear Soldier and activate Ancient Gear Drill. This lets me discard Cree from my mind to set up a Spell on the field. I choose Ancient Gear Golem." Vaila chose the Spell she wanted and cast it. "I cast another Spell and end my turn."

"My move. I activate Dragged Down into the Grave."

The field went to negative. Suddenly, Vaila was overwhelmed by images in Dismay's mind.

"What's going on?"

"This spell lets us temporarily read parts of each others minds and then destroy them. In other words, we can send Cree in the mind to the grave. I choose your Ancient Gear Beast."

Vaila felt a strange sensation, like a hand ripping out a part of her soul as Ancient Gear Beast vanished.

"Then… I can… do the same… I choose…" She was having an impossible time concentrating. Something about Dismay's mind was so powerful that it was almost impossible for her to overcome. "…that… that one."

Dismay began to laugh as his Cree was wiped from his mind. The link between them closed and Vaila began to breath deeply.

"What's so funny?"

"You chose the Cree I wanted you to discard. Thank you. I special Summon Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World!"

"What? I just destroyed that. How did it come back?"

"The creatures of the Dark World revive themselves when they are sent from my mind to the grave. I let you destroy him so that I could bring him back!"

Vaila stared in shock. She had already screwed up in the first turn. Dismay was making her seem like an amateur.

"Now I summon Scarr, Scout of Dark World."

A scarlet, ninja-like demon appeared. It had a long, gray tail and an ape-like face. Along with him, Beiige was a bluish demon with beige, skeletal armor and a long spear.

"Beiige, attack Ancient Gear Soldier!"

Beiige dodged several bullets from Ancient Gear Soldier and struck him with his spear. The mechanized soldier exploded, leaving Scarr in a position to strike a direct attack. Vaila leapt back after the demon's attack, grabbing her chest where the demon had slashed her.

'What's he doing? He isn't using the Seal?' "Reveal trap, Damage Condenser. This lets me Special Summon a monster from my Creepool whose attack is less than the damage I've taken this turn. I Special Summon Ancient Gear Cannon!"

A large cannon rose up from the dead ground. A faint orb at the top glowed with the power of a miniature sun, lighting the cavern.

"I cast a Spell and end my turn," Dismay said.

"Is that all?" Garu laughed. "I can take out that knight with ease. Guardian Deathscythe, destroy the Shining Flare Mirage Knight!"

Deathscythe's eyes glowed a bright red through her mask. She leapt into the air and swung her scythe at Shining Flare Mirage Knight.

"Activate trap, Sword Dance!"

Shining Flare Mirage Knight lifted his scythe and sword up into the air. The two weapons fused in a shower of light, transforming into a new sword.

"Shining Flare Mirage Knight, counterattack with Excalibur!"

The light around the sword faded. The knight lifted Excalibur high into the air. He swung the blade at Deathscythe. The swords met.

"I use the power of my knight to increase his attack by half of Deathscythe's original attack."

The knight began to push back the guardian.

"I use the power of the Seal of Ereberos," Garu responded, "to increase the attack of my guardian."

The tides of the battle turned. Now Deathscythe was winning.

"Bann, if you embrace the Seal, you can beat Deathscythe and win the duel," Garu persuaded.

"No… never."

"Fine, Deathscythe!"

Deathscythe pushed back Shining Flare Mirage Knight's attack, slicing him in half with her scythe.

"I suspect that you take no damage. I end my turn."

"I activate the Spell I set using Ancient Gear Drill. Ancient Key!"

A large key appeared in the gate of the city. Two stone giants appeared on either side of it.

"My Ancient Key allows me to Special Summon two Stone Giant Tokens. I activate the power of the Ancient Gear Cannon."

The cannon began to charge up. It shot out a blast of energy that struck Dismay. Then the cannon blew up.

'One shot, one use.' "I switch the Stone Giants to Defense Position."

The two giants grabbed the key and started to turn it a bit. Afterwards, both sat down.

"That ends my turn," Vaila said, taking a bit of damage from the Stone Statues.

"I see. When you don't attack with those giants, they deal you some damage. Good, then I won't have to attack you. I switch Scarr to Defense Position and summon Zure, Knight of Dark World."

A demon with a blue skull for a head, wrapped in azure armor and a rich blue cape. He held a long, blue sword and had a blue Mohawk on his head.

"That ends my turn."

"I activate Magnet Circle LV2 to Special Summon two Ancient Gears from my hand. Then I activate Ancient Tome. By returning Ancient Gear Beast to my Creepool, I can add Ancient Giant to my mind. Then I sacrifice one Ancient Gear to summon Ancient Giant."

A large, stone giant rose from the ground. He stood twenty feet high and looked down with a solemn expression.

"Stone Giants, switch to Attack Position."

The Stone Giants got up, grabbed the key, and turned it all the way. The gate slowly crept open, sucking in the key, the tome, and the giants.

"I activate the powers of the Ancient Gate."

A loud roar echoed from within the city. A golden dragon flew out of the gate.

"I have released a dragon that was locked within that city for a century. It is undying and unmatched in strength. Ancient Dragon, attack Beiige!"

Ancient Dragon shot a golden fireball at the demon, destroying him and inflicting a great deal of damage to Dismay's life.

"Very good. I see you've summon a great power, but don't think that just that dragon can help you."

Vaila scowled at Dismay. "I cast a Spell. Your move."

"And it will be my last."

"I activate the power of the Reflect Kingdom."

A large castle rose up behind Bann. The walls were made of mirror that reflected the surroundings.

"What's the meaning of this?" Garu yelled.

'Nice,' Zakei thought. 'I haven't seen Bann pull of this move since he dueled Judis. This should be good.'

"I sacrifice the power of Saint Knight Arthur to the Reflect Kingdom."

The walls of the castle began to break. Eventually, they shattered.

"You just broke a mirror. That's seven years bad luck."

"Maybe for you. I Ritual Summon Mirror Knight's Calling!"

In the ruin of the castle, a blue crystal shined in a brilliant light.

"From the ruins of the Reflect Kingdom, I call fourth the Mirror Knights!"

Three knights, each wearing silver armor and bearing a silver sword and shield, appeared in the light of the crystal.

"I end my turn by summoning Holy Knight and casting a Spell. Since there are four knights on my side of the field, Holy Knight gives me a huge boost in power."

Holy Knight lifted his sword into the air. Light rained down on Bann, refilling part of his life.

'Garu is in trouble now,' Tiamat grinned. 'If he doesn't get rid of Holy Knight, Bann will keep getting back life. This is the perfect chance for Bann to stall and get ahead.'

"Your knights don't scare me. I cast a spell. Deathscythe, attack Holy Knight! This is the end!"

Deathscythe flew at the knight, but one of the Mirror Knights blocked him. His attack shot up to equal Deathscythe. Deathscythe's attack increased as well. Then the Mirror Knight's attack increased. Both destroyed each other.

"I send My Body as a Shield to the Grave, saving Deathscythe from harm."

'He keeps saving that Guardian. It's odd that he turned his back on all the other Guardians but now he is saving this one.' "My turn. I switch the Holy Knight to Defense Position and end my turn. Now his magic gives me another boost of strength."

'Damn, if this keeps up, even with Deathscythe, it won't matter what happens.'

"I activate the Cheerful Coffin. This lets me get rid of two Cree in my mind."

'Oh no!'

"I choose Siilva, Warlord of Dark World and Jaade, Warlock of Dark World."

Siilva reappeared on the field. He was a black demon with silver horns and silvery bits all over his armor. He had long, flowing silvery black hair and two black wings. At the ends of each hand was a long, blade-like appendage like an assassin's knife. Jaade wrapped himself around Ancient Dragon. He was a green demon with a long, jade cape and jade armor surrounding his body. His eyes were also a green color. As he melded with Ancient Dragon, a green aura came over the dragon, diminishing its strength.

"Now that the Ancient Dragon is weakened, Siilva, attack!"

Siilva jumped into the air, opening his wings and letting out a screech. He flew in for the kill.

"Activate Battle Advance!" Vaila screamed. "I plan to end this right now! Go, Swords of Revealing Light!"

"You've triggered my trap, Dark Deal!"

The Swords of Revealing Light turned black and shot straight for Dismay, piercing his mind and soul.

"Oh my, he's a masochist. He intentionally took the damage in order to stop me."

"That's not all, my dear. The swords have targeted a creature in my mind. Once he is destroyed, he will be sent to the Grave… and revived on the field."

Lightning struck down all around the field.

"What's going on?"

"The arrival."

"I activate Armor Reborn," Garu said. "This lets me return one Equipment Spell to the field and equip it to Guardian Deathscythe."

Two beams of light shot down from the sky and struck Deathscythe. On her back, a the Twin Swords of Flashing Light appeared, absorbing into her armor. Her body started to glow with an intense light. In a flash, she appeared in front of the remaining two Mirror Knights.

'Oh shit, her speed just increased.'

Deathscythe swung her sickle. Neither knight had much time to defend and were sliced in half by the scythe. Bann took no damage and Garu was forced to send Guardian's Tear and Talisman to the grave to protect Deathscythe from her own demise.

"That leaves just the crystal and the knight."

'This is bad. He took out the knights before I was able to discover a weakness in… that's it! Garu needs to keep ditching Cree and Spells to save Deathscythe. That means he is diminishing the amount of Cree and Spells in his mind. Okay, I know how to defeat him… now all I need are the means.' "I summon…"

'This is it,' Zakei thought.

'Now or never,' Tiamat said to himself.

'Show me your true power,' Garu grinned, menacingly.

"TIMAEUS!"

The large, teal dragon flew up above. It flew down to the duel and lifted the Mirror Knight's Calling crystal.

"Timaeus, fuse with the crystal to form…"

Timaeus heeded his master's plea and fused with the crystal. He took the shape of a warrior in mirror armor, wielding a silver shield. His right eye was scarred and closed. A long, flowing, silver cape fell off his back.

"IMPOSSIBLE! He couldn't have summoned him. It's not possible," Darsus yelled into the darkness. Once again, he came face to face with a terror. Something about Timaeus' form shook him up. "You were to remain in the form of a dragon for eternity. You can't have taken the shape of your former self."

"…to form Celestial Mirror Knight!"

Timaeus stared at Garu, who almost fell backwards in terror.

"Celestial Mirror Knight, attack Deathscythe!"

Timaeus jumped across the field, clashing his sword with Deatscythe's sickle. The two were evenly matched.

"Do you forget the power of the Ereberos? It increases Deathscythe's attack!"

"It's not enough. I use the power of my Mirror Knight. By giving up half my life, Timaeus and Deathscythe's attacks are equal."

"Have you forgotten about Deathscythe's special ability? By giving up Monster Reborn, I can protect Deathscythe from death."

"Everybody dies, Garu. Death is inevitable."

"No, I won't let her die."

"Then I won't let my knight die either. I use the power of Mirror Copy!"

Timaeus reappeared on the field in the form of the Celestial Mirror Knight.

"What happened?"

"My Celestial Mirror Knight has the power to copy the effect of your monster. When you saved Deathscythe, you save him too. If you keep her, you will never be able to defeat me. Let go, Garu. Eatos died. Let her go to the afterlife. Don't tether her to this world. I end my turn."

Holy Knight refilled some more of the life that Bann lost.

"You don't know anything. You wouldn't understand. Deathscythe, attack his knights!"

Deathscythe destroyed Holy Knight. Then she attacked Celestial Mirror Knight.

"I pay half my life. Timaeus!"

Timaeus' attack jumped up past Deathscythe's. The Seal of Ereberos gave Deathscythe a boost. Once again, both monsters were at a stand still.

"I send Guardian Shield to the grave, saving Deathscythe."

"Then you've revived Timaeus as well."

Lightning struck the ground. A large, golden figured flew down to the field. It had large, golden horns and a skullish head. Two, large golden wings rose over it's enormously muscular arms. In its hands, it held a long axe.

"Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World, Reign Mighty Thunder!"

Lightning struck the field like rain. It struck the Ancient Dragon and Gear.

"Unluckily for you, the power of the Ancient City automatically revives the Ancient Dragon."

"You forget, your Battle Advance is still in effect. I too can activate a Spell." The Seal of Orichalcos appeared at Dismay's feet as he said the words. The Seal spread out over the field, causing the Ancient City to crumble and fall.

Without the City, the Ancient Dragon wasn't revived and Vaila was left defenseless. Jaade appeared on Dismay's side of the field, giving him a full field of monsters ready to attack, each amplified by the dark powers of the Orichalcos.

"Goldd, Siilva, Jaade, Zure, and Scarr, attack directly!"

All five Dark World demons attacked Vaila, wiping out the rest of her life. The Seal of Orichalcos closed in around her, sucking out her soul.

"That is how you duel, my dear. Now where are those others? It is time for them to share your fate."

"Garu, you need to stop. Let her go. If you continue, you will only keep reviving Timaeus and the two will destroy each other again."

"No! I can't let her go. She is only thing I have left."

"I'm sorry Garu. I equip Celestial Mirror Knight with the Holy Sword. If you aren't going to listen to reason them I'm just going to have to destroy her. Timaeus, attack!"

Timaeus struck Deathscythe with his sword. Even with her attack boost, Timaeus was stronger.

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying the Twin Swords of Flashing Light!"

Deathscythe's attack rose. Both monsters were equal again.

"This is it, Garu. You don't have anymore Cree or Spells in your mind."

Garu looked at Bann, shocked.

"Timaeus, finish this!"

Timaeus slashed Deathscythe, destroying her for good. She vanished from the field, leaving Garu alone.

"No! No, come back! Eatos!"

The white winged Eatos flew down from the clouds above. Her wings comforted Garu as the Seal of Ereberos circled around him.

"The duel is yours, Bann. I don't have anything left. I see your true power. You didn't need this Seal to beat me."

The Seal of Ereberos absorbed Garu's soul. His lifeless body fell to the ground, motionless.

"Garu…" Tears began to drip down Bann's face. "I'm sorry that it had to end like this."

Dismay walked away from the bodies of Migome and Jesi. Both lay on the cold ground, motionless. A few feet away, the bodies of Cios and Jigen were also lying motionless in the dirt. Dismay lifted up the Orichalcos Stone. 'Another three souls to feed the Beast. What is your plan, Darsus?'

Next time on City of Fire: True Power


	44. True Power

Chapter 44: True Power

"Come on Bann," Zakei said. "We need to go. It's time to make Darsus pay."

Bann looked up. Dark shadows appeared around his eyes. In a dark, raspy voice, Bann responded, "Let's go."

Zakei looked at him strangely and said, "Alright. Tiamat, let's move."

"We're not going anywhere."

"What do you mean?"

'Damn that Darsus. Who does he think he is?' Sagitar flew up the slopes of the mountain toward Darsus' lair. He landed near the outside and turned back into a humanoid form.

"Stop."

Sagitar turned around, attacking whoever just stopped him. The man, draped in a cloak that covered most of his face from sight, dodged Sagitar's blow and tripped him onto the ground.

"Who the hell? Nobody does that to me!" Sagitar screamed.

He jumped up and attacked again. The man opened his cape and a gust of wind flew out. Then, like a vacuum, it started to suck everything in. Sagitar couldn't fly away and there was nothing to grab. Just before he came within the horizon of the vacuum, the man sealed it.

"Who the hell do you think you are!"

"You are a Bloodwing, aren't you?"

"Hey, I'm the one asking the questions, dammit!"

"I'm repaying a favor. You saved me… I just saved you. If you had gone in there, Darsus would have taken your soul and we both would have died."

"What do you… no… Rooko."

"I see you haven't forgotten me after all," Rooko chuckled, pulling back his hood.

"I could beat him."

"No!"

"What?"

"You are not ready to face him. Darsus holds a power unlike any other. He knows how to manipulate that power and enhance it. One who only knows one kind of power, brute force, would be no match for a master of that ancient and evil art."

"So, you know of the Orichalcos."

"And of Darsus. He once led a mass genocide. He didn't care who died as long as there souls were harvested for what he thought was the greater good. His punishment was banishment in and eternal prison of ice. Whoever let him out is…"

"You don't think that it could be…"

"Yes. Yes, it must be him. If anyone would want to utilize that kind of power, he would. I hear you have named yourself. Sagitar, was it?"

Sagitar nodded.

"Very well. Come, we must leave."

"But, if we duel Darsus together, I'm sure we could win."

"No, Darsus can only be defeated by that which he fears most."

"The three?"

"Yes, they are the only ones who can help us now."

"So, he defeated Garu. It seems I will be dueling after all. It's been so long, I've almost forgotten what it was like."

Darsus walked away from his looking pond toward an hallowed area of the cavern. On its stone walls lay many ancient carvings and paintings including that of a silvery dragon and a dark purple serpent facing each other. Between them, the Seal of Orichalcos was carved into the wall. A faint blue light shined from it.

'They defeated us last time,' he thought. 'This time, I will make sure that I awaken the beast and together we will remake the world. This time, Queen Janime cannot stop me.'

"Lord Darsus."

Darsus turned as he heard his name.

"What is it, Dismay?"

"I've done as you've asked and taken care of the Anims. All that is left is for Garu to finish off the ones heading this way."

"Garu has already failed. I need you to finish them for me."

"I'm sorry master, but I cannot do that."

"Dismay! I've had it up to hear with that attitude of yours. You are to do as I say."

"I unleashed you from your prison so that you could work towards my means. If you refuse to cooperate with me, you can take care of your own dirty work."

"You underestimate the powers of the Orichalcos."

"No, you overestimate their powers. I do not need a silly little stone to destroy an entire race and bring forth a god. You have outlived your usefulness, Darsus."

Darsus' eyes widened. "How dare you."

"How dare I? How dare you! You, the 'Great' Darsus, Prophet of Aether and last great King. You who led a revolt on the Anims. You who tried to obliterate your own people! You who failed…"

Dismay turned to leave. Darsus lifted up the Orichalcos stone.

"I wouldn't do that," calmly stated Dismay, hardly turning around. "If you battle me, you won't have the strength to duel those three who are on their way. I suggest you do something else with your time."

Dismay vanished in shadow. Darsus furiously walked back to the looking pool.

"Children of the Orichalcos, let the earth revive your bodies, water give you life, wind give you breath, and fire rekindle your soul. Rise up and lay eternal suffering to those who pursue me."

The pool began to glow. The Seal of Orichalcos floated above the water as Darsus chanted. The Seal spread out through the cave and encircled the mountain peak. The sky glowed a dismal green. The stones of the Orichalcos fell from the sky, landing across the mountain range.

"Alright. Tiamat, let's move."

"We're not going anywhere."

"What do you mean?"

Tiamat lifted a finger and pointed at the trees. Bann and Zakei looked. Surrounding them, red eyes glowed through the dark forests.

"What the hell are those?" Zakei asked.

"Darsus must be making his move. I'm guessing he unleashed a whole bunch of Creeset to slow us down and weaken us before we get to him," Bann explained. "That also could mean that there is nothing between him and us."

"Except these things. I feel a strange aura emanating from them. It feels like the Orichalcos is being utilized to give them life," Zakei said.

"I feel it too," Bann said. "No matter. We'll just break through these… things."

The creatures began to move out of the forests. They wore dark armor with short horns on the helms. Above their glowing red eyes, the Seal of Orichalcos glowed a brilliant green. They had purple skin and razor sharp teeth in their mouths. On the back of their left arms, long blade-like objects protruded out, a weapon of some sort. The soldiers attacked.

"I summon Timaeus!"

The great teal dragon roared above as it flew down and shot bursts of energy from its mouth, destroying a few of the Orichalcos Soldiers.

"Come on, help me!"

"Alright, hold your horses. Critias, help Timaeus."

"Hermos, do the same."

The dark blue and red dragons flew down from the heavens, aiding Timaeus in destroying the soldiers. Soon, the last of the beasts was slain.

"Come, let's go," Bann said, running off.

"Dammit Bann. Come on, Tiamat."

Zakei and Tiamat ran off after Bann. They headed up the slopes of the mountain toward the Seal that hung in the sky. Darsus was calling them.

"They destroyed my soldiers much quicker that I expected. No matter. Soon they will be here in my grasp. Then I will destroy them myself."

"Almost there."

"This could be a trap you know," Zakei said. "That light is leading us there for something."

"I don't care. Darsus is despicable. It is time we put an end to him. For Recks, I must avenge him and return his soul," Bann said.

The three continued to climb to the summit, finally reaching it. On the snow topped path, a cave could be seen in the distance. The light of the Orichalcos shone from within it.

"There it is. Darsus' cave."

"Wait, Bann. It could be a trap."

"I don't care. That psycho took my brother away from me."

Bann ran toward the cave. Tiamat ran after him and Zakei followed. All three stood at the entrance to the cavern. Inside, the walls were bathed in green light. They walked down the long corridor. Shadows reflected off the walls.

'This is it.'

A flash of light covered the room. As their eyes adjusted, Bann and the others could see a man hovering over a pool of water, wearing ceremonial priest robes.

"Are… are you Darsus?"

The man turned around. His golden hair flashed in the dim blue-green light. He laughed. "So glad I could finally meet you all. Yes, I am Darsus."

"So, you're the mad man who has been controlling all of this from the sidelines. It's time to pay up for what you have done."

'This is perfect. All I need are three powerful souls, brimming with spiritual energy in order to reawaken the beast. These three are exactly what I have been searching for, and once I defeat them, I shall pass my judgment on those dragons. I have waited too long to face them and capture their power for my own.' "Me? Pay? You must be joking. I am the Prophet of Aether, Darsus, Master of the Orichalcos and King of the Reckah!"

"You're… their king?" Bann asked.

"Impossible. The last king of the Reckah died seven hundred years ago. They haven't had one since," Tiamat said.

"I have returned to claim what is mine, my throne and people, and with the power of the Orichalcos, we shall pave the way to destiny and awaken the God of the Orichalcos, Aether!"

"You're crazy Darsus," Zakei exclaimed. "Why are you collecting souls?"

"The Great One was destroyed last time he fought. He lives only by attaching himself to a human host's soul, but with the power of many human souls, Aether can live once again."

"You plan to resurrect this Aether?" Tiamat asked.

"Of course I do, and with your souls, his resurrection will surely be completed. The Orichalcos God will live once more!"

"If that's a challenge, I say bring it on," Bann said.

"Fine, I challenge all three of you to a duel at once."

"That's crazy. You can't possibly duel all of us."

"Are you sure?"

"Bann, I have a bad feeling."

"His aura, it's overflowing with power. I've never seen anything like this. Not even the Seal of Ereberos was this strong."

"Duel!" Darsus yelled.

"I'll start," Bann said. " I summon Timaeus!"

Bann's dragon appeared behind him. His teal skin reflected in the light. On his head, two great horns stuck out above his eyes. A scar covered his right eye, forcing it closed. On his back, two great wings rose into the air. He stood on four powerful legs and roared.

"The first dragon has arrived. Timaeus, no nice to see you," Darsus laughed.

Timaeus roared again.

"Then I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight, fusing him with Timaeus to form Steel Night Dragon."

Timaeus and Gearfried fused together in a flash of white light. The light settled down, showing Timaeus, now covered in Gearfried's heavy metal armor.

"I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"My move," Zakei called out. "I summon Critias!"

Zakei's Dragon appeared next to the metallic encased Timaeus. He was a dark blue color with two blade-like tusks protruding out of the sides of his mouth. A blue gem sat on his forehead and frills went down his neck. His wings rose into the air as he stood on his hind legs. Two spikes protruded from his knees and a his tail was forked at the end. He also roared.

"I infuse him with the Spell known as Diffusion Wave Motion to form Wave Dragon!"

Critias transformed. More spikes grew over his body and the shape of his face curved a bit more.

"I also cast a Spell and end my turn."

"That means it's my turn," Tiamat said at last. "I summon Hermos!"

Finally, Tiamat's Dragon landed next to the other two. He was a dark red color with a horn on the end of his nose. Sharp teeth, most noticeably hanging from the from front and rising from the back aligned his open mouth. Down his back, sharp, pointed spikes ran down. His wings also rose into the air as he two stood on his hind legs.

"I activate Quick Summon, allowing me to summon both Baby Dragon and Warrior Dai Grepher. Then I activate Time Warp, sending Baby Dragon one thousand years into the future, changing him into a Thousand Dragon. Then I fuse my Thousand Dragon and Hermos to form A Thousand Sword."

An ancient looking saber fell from the sky where Hermos and Thousand Dragon fused. It landed in Dai Grepher's hands, increasing his attack.

"That ends my turn."

"Perfect! All three Legendary Dragons have appeared before me! I see you couldn't wait to face me Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos." Darsus sighed, "You three will never learn. I believe it's my turn, is it not? I haven't dueled in quite some time. Oh that's right. I activate this. I'm sure you're quite familiar with it."

A green ring appeared in the sky, spinning rapidly. It lowered down to the field around all four duelists.

"I reveal the full power of the Seal of Orichalcos!"

The ring stopped spinning. The ancient symbols on it were now visible. Two lights dashed across the circle, forming the hexagram star and completing the Seal.

"Now we're locked in until one of us goes, but of course you knew that. Unfortunately for you, one of you will be leaving quite soon."

"What's that supposed to mean, Darsus?"

Darsus laughed again. "I activate three Orichalcos Summons!"

Three more Orichalcos Soldiers appeared on Darsus' side of the field.

"You recognize them, don't you? These are the soldiers of my Orichalcos Army, and thanks to them, I can summon the first of my great Orichalcos beasts!"

The three soldiers vanished into dust. From the ground, a giant dark dragon rose up. On its forehead, the Seal of Orichalcos glowed brightly.

"Meet my Demon Dragon of Orichalcos! Demon Dragon, attack!"

The Dragon attacked Dai Grepher.

"I almost forgot. I activate the Quick-Play Spell Orichalcos Shadow Reversal. This copies the power of A Thousand Sword and transfers it to my Demon Dragon!"

The Dragon's fire hit Dai Grepher shattering him.

"And since I dealt so little damage, the power of the Thousand Sword, multiplies my attack ten fold!"

Tiamat winced as he took the damage.

"And that's not all."

"What?"

"When my Demon Dragon is involved in battle with a Legendary Dragon, he inflicts three times the damage he should."

Tiamat's eyes widened and his pupils dilated. "No… AHHHHH!" he screamed in pain as the rest of his life was ripped from his body. The Seal shined brighter as Tiamat's soul was ripped from his body. He fell to the floor, lifeless.

"Ti… TIAMAT!" Bann screamed.

"One… one hit kill…" Zakei stuttered.

"Now do you see my power? Now do you realize that you are all going to forfeit your souls to me? Give up now and save yourselves the anguish."

"Ne… NEVER! We will never give in to you, Darsus. We will defeat you and bring back the souls of our friends!" Bann yelled.

"What you have done is unforgivable. Death is one thing, but to take away the one thing that makes us human… that is despicable."

"Please, spare me. I am giving you a fate better than death. I am giving you the chance to become one with a god and live for an eternity. Your sacrifice is for the greater good."

"You're sick, Darsus. My turn. Steel Night Dragon, attack the Demon Dragon with Steel Tipped Flame!"

Timaeus rose into the air. He opened his mouth and launched a fireball at the Demon Dragon. The dragon fell to the ground, burnt to death.

"Your move, Zakei."

"Wave Dragon, attack Darsus directly with Motion Cannon! You're a fool, Darsus. By using the power of A Thousand Sword, you had to give up half of your life. Now you only have a little bit left."

Critias opened his mouth. A dark ball of energy formed between his jaws, pulling in energy around him. He launched it at Darsus, who merely flinched.

"Your move, Darsus. Better make it good."

"Oh, I will. I activate Coins from Heaven, refilling our minds." 'Perfect.' "I pay some of my life to Special Summon Orichalcos Kyutora."

A small, spiky, one-eyed sea-urchin-like creature appeared. It was black and spiny with little wisps of electricity zapping off of it.

"What's that little thing going to do?"

"A lot. Then I summon Orichalcos Gigas."

A gigantic, brown monstrosity appeared next to Kyutora. The Seal appeared above its forehead. It had two massive fists.

"I activate the Orichalcos Sword of Sealing."

A sword shot down from the sky, landing in Critias, pinning him down to the ground.

"Then I cast two Spells. Your move."

"You may have stopped one Dragon from attacking, but not both. Timaeus, attack Orichalcos Kyutora and end this duel! Steel Tipped Flame!"

Timaeus shot another fireball at Kyutora, but Gigas stood in the way and took the attack.

"What? I aimed for Kyutora."

"I am the master of the Orichalcos, remember? I know all of its powers, all of its secrets. What my disciples failed to realize was the defensive powers of the Orichalcos."

"Defensive powers?"

"By placing Kyutora in a second line behind where my regular monsters are played, I can use Gigas as a blockade to prevent you from getting to me."

"That's fine, but Gigas' attack was even less than Kyutora's which means that you lose!"

"No, I don't. I am protecting Kyutora for a reason."

Kyutora's eye opened wider. The damage from the attack was now visible on the field, heading toward Darsus. A powerful wind coming from Kyutora's eye sucked up the damage.

"What just happened?"

"Kyutora is like a lightning rod for damage. Any damage that I would take, Kyutora just absorbs."

"Then I'll just have to destroy Kyutora," Zakei said. "Since you have no monsters to protect it now, it shouldn't be too hard."

"I wouldn't speak so soon," Darsus replied.

The earth began to shake. Gigas burst out of the ground and stood right back where he was.

"What the hell just happened?"

"I told you not to speak so soon. You see, Kyutora is the perfect shield for my life, while Gigas is the perfect shield for my Kyutora. Each time he is destroyed, he returns stronger than before."

"He's still weak. I sacrifice…"

"Reveal trap King's Sword Return."

The Orichalcos Sword lifted out of Critias as he vanished. It then flew back to Darsus, who grabbed it with his left hand. The sword then disappeared.

"This trap returns a sword on the field to my mind. Then it increases my life a bit."

"As I was saying, I sacrifice Wave Dragon to summon Dark Magician Girl. Dark Magician Girl, attack Gigas!"

"Zakei, no!"

"Bann, the only way we are going to find a weakness in this thing is to attack it head on. Dark Burning Attack!"

Dark Magician Girl lifted her wand and shot a burst of black flames at Gigas. The monster exploded. Then from the ground, he rose again, stronger than before.

"I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"It is time to show you a whole new level of power," Darsus laughed. "I activate Orichalcos Deuteros!"

At the top of the cavern, another ring appeared, spinning around and lowering over them. It landed right around the original ring of the Seal.

"What is this?"

"I promised you the true power of the Orichalcos. The Seal isn't confined to only one level, and thanks to the soul of your friend, I now have enough power to activate it!"

Bann and Zakei looked around, worried. They had no idea what this new level of the Seal could do. If it was anything like the original, it was bad.

"Next, I use Red Medicine to recover some of my life."

A small phial of red liquid materialized in Darsus' hand. He opened the phial and drank the liquid, replenishing some of his life.

"Now I summon the next of my Orichalcos monsters, Orichalcos Diablos!"

A large fiery beast, covered in magma and flame appeared on the field. The Seal appeared on the demon's head.

"Diablos, attack Dark Magician Girl!"

"Their attacks are equal. You'll just destroy them both!"

"You're right. Diablos, activate your effect and change the Battle Position of Dark Magician Girl!"

Diablos' eyes flashed, mentally forcing Dark Magician Girl to switch to Defense Position.

"Activate Magical Pigeons!" Zakei yelled.

A hat appeared around Dark Magician Girl. Diablos attacked it and set it ablaze. Two pigeons flew out of the burning hat, but Dark Magician Girl was nowhere to be seen.

"What is this?"

"You're not the only one who knows magic."

"Baa, cheap parlor tricks. I end my turn."

The two pigeons sat down next to each other and in a puff of smoke, Dark Magician Girl appeared where the pigeons were.

Darsus clapped. "Wonderful trick. Do you play birthdays?"

"My move," Bann said. "Timaeus, attack Diablos. Steel Tipped Flame!"

The armored Timaeus opened its jaws to attack again.

"Reveal Trap! Activate Dark Requiem of Orichalcos!"

The Seal flashed a brilliant red. Timaeus and Dark Magician Girl were set ablaze. Both monsters were destroyed. The Seal then returned to its natural green state.

"This requiem destroys every monster on your side of the field."

"I summon Guardian Knight in Defense Position. Turn end."

'Damn, I have no other choice than this. Bann, I'm sorry.' "Activate Dark Magic Curtain."

A large, red stage curtain with a skeleton at the top appeared behind Zakei.

"It's time to reveal the star of the show, the mighty Dark Magician!"

Dark Magician jumped out of the curtain and landed in front of Zakei.

"Zakei, no."

"Yes, it was my only move. By using the power of the Dark Magic Curtain, I was able to summon the Dark Magician, but at the cost of half of my life. Activate Spell, Thousand Knives!"

Thousands of knives appeared behind Dark Magician. He lifted his staff, waiting for Zakei's next command.

"Dark Magician, target Kyutora!"

Dark Magician waved his staff, launching the knives at the one-eyed urchin.

"Activate Orichalcos Shield of Deflection! By sending Orichalcos Sword of Sealing to the grave, I can deflect those knives right back where they came from."

"What!"

A dome with the Orichalcos symbol surrounded Darsus. In one hand, he held the Orichalcos Sword and in the other, he lifted up the Orichalcos Shield. The knives deflected off the barrier and shot back at Dark Magician.

"A good magician always has another trick up his sleeve. Activate Magical Hats!"

A hat like the one that appeared over Dark Magician Girl appeared. It covered Dark Magician and split in three. The knives struck one hat, but Dark Magician wasn't in it.

"I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"It is time to reveal the powers of Deuteros."

The Seal shined with power. Green light surrounded Gigas, Diablos, and Kyutora.

"What's happening?"

"Watch."

The light that surrounded them rose into the sky. The light came together, forming an orb and struck Darsus. The light revitalized Darsus.

"As you can see, Deuteros adds life to me every turn for every monster on my side of the field. Gigas, attack one of the hats!"

Gigas punched one of the hats, but nothing was in it.

"Well, I'm sure we can figure out where the Dark Magician is now. I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"Zakei, I think I have a plan."

"Good, because I do too."

"I'd love to see this."

"I sacrifice Guardian Knight to summon Saint Knight Isaac. Isaac, attack Gigas!"

Isaac charged at Gigas.

"Have you forgotten? Gigas just revives every time you destroy him."

"Right."

Isaac slashed Gigas with his sword, cutting the creature in half. Both halves began to dissolved in the light.

"What's going on?"

Isaac then lifted his sword into the air, absorbing Gigas into the blade. Then, he struck it into the ground.

"Isaac, purify!"

Light shot down into the ground from Isaac's sword, purifying the earth around them. He then leapt back to his position in front of Bann.

"What did you do? Gigas should have revived."

"Sorry, Darsus. Isaac purified him. His soul was lain to rest."

"And now it's my turn. Dark Magician, reveal yourself!"

Dark Magician leapt out of the remaining hat.

"Now I activate Dedication through Light and Darkness…"

Dark and light energies swirled around Dark Magician. They fused with him, creating a new magician.

"… transforming him into the Dark Magician of Chaos!"

Dark Magician of Chaos landed next to Zakei. He wore dark blue with pink bands. His skin was blue with black makeup. He lifted his staff into the air and aimed it at Darsus' monsters.

"Now, I activate the ability of my Magician to use a Spell in my Graveyard. I choose the one that Critias was infused with before. Diffusion Wave Motion!"

A ball of energy formed at the tip of Dark Magician's staff. It shot out multiple blades of energy that destroyed Diablos and then struck Kyutora's eye. Kyutora's eye closed.

"Good, it's done."

"What's done?"

"Kyutora, explode!"

Kyutora began to glow. It grew larger and larger, finally exploding. In the smoke, a large, blue Shakoukidoguu rose up.

"Arise Orichalcos Shinoras!"

"What is that thing?"

"This is the embodiment of your hatred towards me for all I have done. Prepare to feel your own wrath."

Shinoras' right and left arms detached from the main body and floated forward. On Shinoras' head and on the shoulders of the two arms, the Seal of Orichalcos appeared.

"These are the Arms that will determine your fates. On the right is Orichalcos Dexia two Sword and the left is Orichalcos Aristeros the Sheild."

"Right, Dark Magician of Chaos, attack!"

Dark Magician of Chaos lowered his staff again and shot a blast at Shinoras. Aristeros was triggered by the attack. It lifted in a ninety degree angle and hit the blast. Aristeros deflected the shot back at the Dark Magician of Chaos, destroying him.

"What just happened?"

"I told you that Aristeros was the shield. Any attack aimed for Shinoras is deflected by Shinoras and sent back at the monster that attacked with a bit more force. Dexia is the sword. He increases his attack to just above whatever he is attacking, allowing him to destroy anything. They are the perfect sword and shield, as I have said."

"And Shinoras?"

"Don't worry about him. You'll never be able to touch him."

"I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"Good, and now that it's my turn, I can increase my life again."

Bann and Zakei were shocked. They hadn't been able to deal any damage to him in the last few turns because of Kyutora and now they probably wouldn't be able to touch him still thanks to Shinoras' arms.

"Shinoras, attack the Saint Knight with Dexia!"

Dexia lifted in a ninety degree angle and launched at Isaac. Isaac had little time to raise his sword before the huge arm crashed against his head and threw him into the edge of the Seal. Isaac faded away and Bann took his first hit of the game, although small.

"As for you," Darsus turned to Zakei, "I have a special spell for you. Activate Banishment of Orichalcos."

The Seal began to glow like it did when Tiamat's soul was taken.

"I will take the soul of your Dark Magician!"

Dark Magician of Chaos leapt into the air. The Seal appeared at his feet, draining away his soul and leaving him a lifeless shell. Darsus once again gained life as the soul of the Dark Magician was absorbed by him.

"I cast a Spell and end my turn."

"I cast a Spell and set a monster. Sorry, Zakei. Your turn."

"It's okay. I've got an idea. I activate Premature Burial. At the cost of some of my life, I can Special Summon Critias back to the field." 'Well, this is interesting. Critias allows me to…' "It seems that Critias' effect also allows me to add any Cree or Spell in my Graveyard to my mind and I choose my good ol' Diffusion Wave Motion. Then I infuse it with Critias to form Wave Dragon once again. Then I pay one eighth of my original life to have Wave Dragon attack with his effect. Wave Tide Cannon!"

Wave Dragon opened his mouth and shot three blasts. Aristeros deflects each attack, destroying Wave Dragon and the rest of Zakei's life.

"Damn, I was hoping that it might work."

"Zakei."

"Bann, there must be a weakness. Just don't use brute force."

"I can't do this alone."

"Yes you can. You have great power." He fell to his knees as the Orichalcos absorbed his soul.

"Well, you're the only Basher left."

"What was that?" Bann glared.

"I had Dismay take care of your other friends. You three were all that was left. The other Bashers who came here before you both had their souls taken except for Morgen, but you know what happened to him. As for your sensei, Rooko is somewhere out there in the frozen peaks."

Bann fell to his knees and looked down at the ground.

"I can make this easier on you. Give up and your soul shall be used to revive Aether where your soul will join those of your friends. Together, you shall become a god."

"No… no I won't do that." Tears leaked out of Bann's eyes and dripped onto the ground. He clenched his fist and beat the ground. "I refuse to listen to you. Darsus, you should prepare for defeat."

"Well, it's just you and me now. Let's make this duel interesting."

Next time on City of Fire: Counterattack of the Legendary Dragons


	45. Counterattack

Episode 45: Counterattack of the Legendary Dragons

Wave Dragon opened his mouth and shot three blasts. Aristeros deflects each attack, destroying Wave Dragon and the rest of Zakei's life. Zakei dropped to his knees as the Seal ripped out his soul. Zakei fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Well, it's just you and me now. Let's make this duel interesting," Darsus laughed. "Since it was just Zakei's turn, I believe it is my turn again."

The three parts of Shinoras began to glow with the same eerie light again. The light collected into an orb, which Darsus absorbed, increasing his life again.

"Ha ha ha ha… mu ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"What's so funny, Darsus?"

Darsus looked down at his hands. "I have more life than you now," he responded. "Shinoras, attack with Dexia!"

Dexia lifted up again and shot at the set monster on Bann's side of the field. The monster appeared, revealing itself as Command Knight.

"Interesting to note, Darsus. Command Knight's Defense is much higher than its attack. That makes Dexia's attack less than my Knight's Defense so you take damage. If I continue to whittle your life with strong defensive monsters, you won't stand much of a chance."

"Too bad, you dealt no damage. Activate Orichalcos Life Force Wave!"

A green laser shot out from Dexia, hitting Darsus, but what should have damaged him, instead gave him even more life.

"What just happened?"

The power of the Life Force Wave changes all damage I suffer from creatures of the Orichalcos to life energy that feeds me.

"Damn."

"Damn is right. You can't even touch me now. Each turn I will continue to gain life as I attack you with the invincible Shinoras!"

'He has even more life energy than when he started. This isn't good.' "I summon Steed of the Fierce Knight, allowing me to Special Summon Gaia the Lone Knight." 'If I use the power of the Knight Seal in combination with Gaia, I can take out Aristeros. With that arm gone, he won't have his shield to protect him and I should be able to take out Dexia and then Shinoras.' "I cast three Spells and end my turn."

"You should feel honored, Bann."

"What's that?"

"I have never used this level of the Seal before. You should be honored to be the first to ever see it."

"Now that Zakei's soul is in my possession, I can activate the third level of the Seal of Orichalcos."

"No!"

"Orichalcos Tritos!"

Another green ring appeared in the sky, spinning rapidly. It lowered over the Seal, surrounding the other two rings. Finally, it slowed down and came to a stop, locking in place to form the third level of the Seal of Orichalcos.

Bann looked around. The Seal was even stronger now. 'What kind of powers could the Seal have now?'

"Now, I will show you the power of Vision!"

A bright spark of green light appeared in the center of the circle. The light spread out in a flash. Bann covered his eyes from the flash. When he opened them again, he and Darsus were no longer in the cavern. In fact, they were hundreds of feet in the air above a large, ancient city.

"What is this place?"

"Please. Don't tell me you don't recognize your own home."

"The City of Janime? That can't be it. That looks nothing like it."

"Janime? Oh yes, they renamed it shortly after my intrusion."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell me, have you ever heard of La Crusadia del Arigosa?"

"No, what of it?"

"Do they teach you anything in the history books nowadays? La Crusadia del Arigosa is an ancient term for the War of Arigos. Seven hundred years ago, the Reckah and the Anims lived together in peace, or really, the Anims' grand idea of peace. They oppressed us, made us lower class citizens, and took away our rights. They were afraid of us.

"Queen Janime IV, the 'Great Queen of the Anims' refused to share power with the Reckah's blood king, Darnia. Darnia sent his only son on a mission to find an item for which he could bargain with Janime. During his journey, he found a peculiar glowing green gemstone, which he thought would make a perfect gift for the queen. He bent over and touched it, but he never got up."

"What happened to him?"

"We are about to watch and see."

The world around them soared past, finally stopping at a point in grasslands of the northeast. The Seal lowered them to the ground. Bann walked to the edge where he saw a boy with golden hair and blue-green eyes walking along. A stone fell from the sky and landed near the boy, creating a large crater. As the boy moved, the Seal followed.

"Can't he see us?"

"Of course he can't. This is only a vision of the past."

The boy slid into the crater, seeing the glowing green rock. He bent down to look at it, examining the beauty with his eyes. Darsus' eyes glimmered with the same intensity and Bann knew now where he had seen the boy's eager face.

"Don't touch it!" he screamed out.

"Too late Bann. If I hadn't picked up that rock, I wouldn't be here right now, dueling you."

The green light wrapped around the boy, sucking out his soul. He fell forward, into the dirt. Bann turned around in shock of hearing Darsus' words.

"What do you mean? That boy… that can't be you. This took place over seven hundred years ago!"

Darsus laughed. "The power of the Orichalcos isn't limited by time. Its power comes from the immortal god Aether!"

"You are the wicked king who led the Reckah to war over seven hundred years ago?"

"Yes and no. You see, it is true that I have the body of Darnia's son, Darsus, but I am not truly Darsus anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"When Darsus touched the Orichalcos Stone, Aether, who had been trapped inside, awaiting the perfect host, pulled Darsus' soul into the stone. Together, the two souls merged into one and returned to Darsus' body. That is when I was truly born, neither Darsus nor Aether, but a product of the two as one. I am the King of the Reckah and the Prophet of Aether.

"With Darsus' body, I took his name and life, and from there, returned to the City of Arigos. I waited twenty long years, keeping the stone hidden and developing my powers. When I was old enough, I used the Orichalcos to slay my father and take his soul. He became my first victim to feed the reawakening of the Beast King Aether. With my father out of the way, I took the title of the Reckah's King and led a mass revolt on Arigos. Of course, there were difficulties. The Reckah were quick the follow behind me as I promised them both power and freedom. With the Orichalcos at my disposal, the revolution was quick. All that stood between me and what I desired were four knights and the queen herself."

"Four knights?"

"Yes, the Knights of Legend, protectors of the Queen and keepers of the four Universals. However, the Orichalcos is a powerful persuasive. I used its power to turn one of the knights against the other three. As they fought, I battle Janime and reawakened Aether for the first time."

The scene switched back to Arigos. Above the city's limits, Bann could see a great battle ensuing below.

"It is here that the city derives its nickname, the City of Fire. So quickly did my followers set the streets ablaze. The citizens panicked."

Bann saw the people running below. A man in iron armor ran down the streets, throwing water on the flames. A young woman did her part, picking up a sword and battling the Reckah in the streets. The man in the iron armor aided her in her fight. He took off his iron casings and lifted a sword. In a flash, three Reckah were downed. In other parts of the city, a magician and his apprentice were fighting the Reckah using their spells. A man lifted his sword and summoned a large dragon Cree. All over the streets, mass chaos and fighting was waged.

Finally, Bann saw the four knights. Each wore a different colored armor, teal, blue, red, and silver. The three in the teal, blue, and red armors attacked the one in the silver armor. Before their attacks met, a green light surrounded the silver armored knight, throwing off the attacks. The light spread out. Bann could now make out the picture that the light made. It was the Seal of Orichalcos.

Then he saw it. On the tallest tower of the castle, two people were having a duel. It was Darsus and a woman. In front of Darsus, Shinoras and its arms faced off against the woman's Cree.

"What's going on, Darsus?"

"This is the duel that ended my life. This was my duel with Janime IV"

Queen Janime summoned a large, red dragon. Its large, red wings opened above the tower. Its body seemed infinite in length as it coiled around the turret. In the middle of its forehead was a blue gem. It opened its mouth and launched a ball of lightning at Aristeros.

'Janime, she'll just destroy her own dragon if she uses that.' Bann thought.

The lighting struck Aristeros. The arm shattered and crumbled. Even from far off, he could see the younger Darsus' face coil into an expression of horror.

"What happened?"

"This is the power of the Queen. That evil wench was the only person who ever defeated Shinoras."

Dexia flew at the dragon and destroyed it. From the ashes of the dragon, a phoenix rose up. Its flames wrapped around the field, destroying both Shinoras and Dexia.

"As you can see, Janime was very powerful…"

Bann looked back at the knights. The three were on the ground, unmoving. The last knight was grabbing his helmet, shaking violently. He broke out of his armor and began to transform into a large, silvery dragon. The dragon flew up toward the tower. As it passed through the barrier of the Seal of Orichalcos, the dragon transformed again, turning into a large, serpent-like dragon with purple, blue, and green skin. It attacked the phoenix, swallowing it in one gulp. The dragon wrapped itself around the tower, just as Janime's dragon had done before.

The scene went black. Darsus and Bann returned to the cavern.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean? Of course you know what happened."

"You lost? Then the power of the Orichalcos isn't as powerful as you claim, Darsus."

"Of course it is. Only I could have the power to survive a dark duel, and no less, one with the Queen of the Anims herself. But that was not all that couldn't kill me. My soul, was totally bonded with Aether's that day. I had gained his immortality. Janime sentenced my people to banishment into the mountains and had myself imprisoned for eternity in a block of ice."

"Imprisoned? Then how did you get out?"

"Dismay…"

"Dismay!"

"Tribal law from that day forward was to never unleash me from my slumber. My name was forgotten to all. All they could remember was the 'last wicked king'. Dismay, hoping to use the power of the Orichalcos to further his plans, awakened me to learn its secrets. The Reckah came to trust me quickly, thinking I was from another part of the mountains. I promised them both power and freedom. The Reckah are very stupid people. They believe anything, as long as they gain power. It was a simple thing to take them under my command again. I sent them to the swamps of Foreckids to lend this power to the N00bs. The N00bs quickly adapted and evolved. Dismay led them into the city and the rest is history."

"So, you're responsible for the attack on my home!"

"In a matter of speaking, yes, I am."

"Darsus, you're going to pay!"

"And I suppose you're going to make me? Look at you. You can't even protect yourself. You've let your friends down. They are all gone and it's all your fault."

"Bann, don't listen to him. I'm still here."

'Kia, he's right. If I had done more, I could have saved Tiamat and Zakei. I pushed Migome away from me. She ran off and as a result, lost her soul. Morgen was consumed by the darkness. Recks, he was my brother and I couldn't help him. I took my own brother's soul.'

'Good, feel the anguish, the pain of losing all that you love. Feel the pain of knowing that you caused all of it. Feed the Orichalcos. Then, when your pain has reached its limit, attack me with everything you've got! Let your wrath be your own undoing!' "Dexia, attack Gaia the Lone Knight!"

"Reveal trap, Knight Seal!"

The seal appeared at Shinoras' feet.

"Tritos!" Darsus yelled.

The Seal glowed a bright green, as if in response to Darsus' command. The Knight Seal shattered.

"The Seal of Orichalcos, the power of wrath, Orichalcos Deuteros, the power of helplessness, and finally, Orichalcos Tritos, the power of sorrow. You cannot harm me anymore. Your spells and traps are useless. Your monsters are too weak. You've lost."

'He's right… this is a lost cause. If I give up now, I can join the others.'

"Bann, don't think like that. Think of all that you have accomplished. Believe in yourself. You have the power to stop him. Believe!"

'You're right.' "No, I will never give up!"

'What's this? He should have given in by now. His soul is much stronger than I expected. Why aren't my words getting to him?'

"I activate Gather the Round Table!" Bann yelled. "This lets me Special Summon Giltia the Dark Knight and Brave Knight. Then, I activate Mid-Knight Polymer, fusing Giltia the Dark Knight with Gearfried the Iron Knight in my Graveyard."

Gearfried and Giltia fused together. The result was a monster in dark gray armor, lined with green. Red gems surrounded the armor. A blue cape ran down his back and blue cloth ran from his hips down. His helm was a green color, lined with red gems. On his right arm was a steel shield and in his right hand, a large battleaxe with a pointed spear end.

"Giltigear the Dark Steel Knight, attack Aristeros!"

Aristeros attack increased to just more than Giltigear's.

"Reveal traps, Shining Armor and Duos Saber!"

"Traps won't work. Orichalcos Tritos will negate them!"

"My traps aren't targeting your monsters, so the Seal cannot negate their power."

In place of his axe, a sword appeared in Giltigear's hand. His armor illuminated with a brilliant shine.

"Giltigear, attack Aristeros!"

"Aristeros effect will still make him stronger than your knight!"

"Wrong! I use the power of Duos Saber to copy the effect of Aristeros and give it to Giltigear!"

Giltigear's attack increased to just above Aristeros'. He slashed straight through the left arm. Then Giltigear leapt over to Dexia and destroyed it as well.

"With the arms gone, that leaves only Shinoras' main body!"

Darsus jaw dropped. Bann had managed to destroy both arms. "The arms may be gone, but the deadliest power of Shinoras is now unleashed!"

Shinoras began to glow a bright green.

"What's happening?"

"Shinoras was born of your own desires, hatred, and anger, remember? It is time to unleash that power!"

Shinoras attack increased.

"Where is that power coming from!"

"All the damage that was absorbed by Kyutora has been laying dormant in Shinoras. With his arms gone, there is nothing holding back this power. Shinoras, attack Giltigear! Photon Ring!"

A ring of light appeared above Shinoras and flew at Giltigear. The ring floated around Giltigear and shrunk inwards, slicing him in half. Bann flew backwards, hitting the edge of the Seal and landing, face down, on the ground below.

"That is it. Shinoras is too powerful for you. Give up. This will all be easier if you do."

"Ne… never…"

Bann slowly rose to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"I will never give up. My turn!"

Darsus laughed. "You are quite something. Instead of giving into your fate, you keep trying to go against it. You would rather fight and injure yourself. Either path leads to the same end."

"That's what you think. I activate the Spell, Monster Reborn! I use its power to revive Timaeus!"

Timaeus reappeared on the field.

"Then I activate his Special Ability. When he is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon another monster from the Graveyard."

"Fine, choose your monster. Not even a fusion of Timaeus could help you now."

"I choose Critias!"

The second Legendary Dragon appeared next to the first.

"What!"

"And now, I activate Critias special ability. You remember it, don't you? I can add one monster, Spell, or Trap in my Graveyard to my mind. I choose Hermos! When Hermos is returned from the grave to my mind, I gain back one eighth of my original life and I can Special Summon him to the field!"

The third Legendary Dragon appeared next to the other two.

"What… what is the meaning of this!"

"I think I've managed to summon all three Legendary Dragons. That's the meaning of this. Prepare for the counterattack!"

"Very good, Bann. Together, the Legendary Dragons are strong, but sadly, I fear that they aren't strong enough to take on Darsus."

'Then I think I might just need a little help from the past. The Knight's Title can turn any monster into a knight. Maybe it will do the same for the Dragons. Odd, the power of the Knight's Title seems to be changing.' Bann pulled out the blue crest. It was certainly different. It was now teal, blue, and red. Instead of the B, three swords lined the crest. He lifted it into the air. 'It's true then. You must be them.' "I activate the Knight's Title – Legend of Heart!"

Light shot down from the cave ceiling. Bann gave up some of his life and offered Brave Knight as a Tribute. The three Legendary Dragons vanished.

"What's going on? What have you done!"

A bright light shot down. Bann and Darsus shielded their eyes.

"At last, after seven hundred years, we are free once again!"

"It is time for you to pay your dues, Darsus."

"You turned our own against us. You sealed us in the forms of these dragons. Imprisoning you within that block of ice wasn't enough."

"No, not you!"

"We have returned, Darsus. As dragons, you limited our power, but as knights, you are terrified of what we can do."

Three knights stepped out of the light. One wore teal armor with a blue, flowing cape. In his hand, he held a long saber. His right eye was scarred and shut. The next wore blue armor with a blue cape, lined with yellow. He had golden hair and also held a long sword. The final knight wore red armor with purple cape. He had red hair and, like the other two, he held a sword.

The teal armored knight spoke, "I am Timaeus of Arigos, Knight of Time and protector of the Queen."

"And I," said the blue armored knight, "am Critias, Knight of Wisdom and wielder of the Holy Blaze."

The red armored knight spoke last, "I am Hermos, Knight of Miracles and champion of the people."

They all lifted their swords in the air and crossed them. "We are the Legendary Knights!" The slashed their swords into the ground. Beams of light shot from them and struck the Seal of Orichalcos. The crossed the Seal and struck the edges, traveling up the invisible domed walls, meeting in the center. The Seal of Orichalcos shattered.

"No!"

"You… you guys destroyed the Seal."

"Ah, young master Bann, I give you my deepest gratitude for releasing us."

"I should thank you. You've save me more times than I can count."

Timaeus put his arm on Bann's shoulder. "And you have done the same for me. Thank you."

Timaeus turned back to face Darsus. Bann understood. "It's time to take out Shinoras! I summon the Knight of Twin Swords. Using the power of Warp Fusion, I can fuse him with Timaeus to form Legendary Knight of Twin Swords – Timaeus!"

Timaeus' armor turned a purple color and changed shape slightly. A second sword appeared in his left hand.

"I use the power of Critias' Holy Blaze. This allows me to activate a Spell or Trap in my Grave. This didn't work before, but now that Orichalcos Tritos is gone, I can use the power of Knight Seal to seal away the effects of Shinoras, including his effect to increase his attack!"

Shinoras' attack began to decrease.

"Timaeus, attack!" 'Once this attack connects, Timaeus will be able to attack again. Then Hermos and Critias and attack directly with Timaeus for the win.'

Before Timaeus' sword could connect, Shinoras began to crack.

"What's going on?"

"You've activated a Special Ability of Shinoras, one that cannot be negated. When his attack power is decreased to zero…"

Shinoras shattered like glass. Where he stood, a large hole in space began to open up. A large serpent-like dragon slithered out. It had purple, blue, and green skin with a large golden horn on its head.

Bann remembered seeing this creature before. Darsus summoned it when facing Queen Janime. It had destroyed that large phoenix and wrapped itself around the tower.

"Oh no," Critias said.

"Our battle with him will never end," Hermos added.

"Brother," Timaeus said, "Darsus has destroyed and remade you in his image. Even if it takes another seven hundred years, I will save you from this torment."

Bann turned to Timaeus. "Did you say that thing is your brother?"

"My twin brother, tainted by the Orichalcos. Darsus forced me to battle him. After our fight, Darsus turned him into that thing before us."

The serpent dragon roared.

Bann remembered just before Darsus had summoned it, the silver knight and Timaeus had fought. Then, the silver knight turned into a dragon, and then it became that thing.

"You remember, Timaeus?"

"Of course I do! I will never forget what you did, and my bother has left me a scar to forever remember it." He pointed to his scarred right eye.

"You never got a chance to face the wrath of your brother in this form. Let me bare you witness to a small demonstration of his power. Divine God of Serpents Ge, attack the Legendary Knights!"

Ge wrapped around the knights, and with the speed of a snake, he swallowed all three in a single bite.

"Now, take the power of the Legendary Knights and make it your own!"

Ge's power increased with the strength of his meal. He rose up into the air and stared down at Bann. He opened his mouth and roared again. Bann stood defenseless against the power of the Divine God of Serpents.

Next time on City of Fire: Snake God


End file.
